Alexander Hamilton
Alexander Hamilton was close to becoming one of the forgotten founding fathers. With the Broadway musical Hamilton’s success, however, he is quickly returning to the public interest. The exact date of his birth is not known as it is suspected that he lied about his age when he was young in order to get a job.
We do know, however, that he was born in the West Indies and moved to the United States at a young age. Hamilton grew up writing essays about why it was necessary for the American Colonies to break from England.
During the war, he served as an Artillery Captain and as a member of Washington’s staff. Hamilton even commanded his artillery unit at the Battle of Yorktown. After the British surrender, Alexander contributed to writing the Federalist Papers and acted at the Constitutional Convention.
When Washington became president, Hamilton was given the post of Secretary of the Treasury and he passed much legislation that ensured the financial stability of the new nation. After a life of gaining political enemies, though, he lost his life in a duel against Aaron Burr in 1804. Peculiarly enough, his own son died in a duel in the exact same spot he did.