Aaron Burr
Biography Paper
Early Life
Aaron Burr (1756-1836) was the third vice President of the United States of
America who is known more for his duel with Alexander Hamilton. He was born in
Newark, New Jersey on February 6, 1756 to “Reverend Aaron Burr Senior, the
cofounder and second president of the College of New Jersey (now Princeton
University), and Esther Edwards Burr, the daughter of the New England theologian
Jonathan Edwards.” (AARON BURR) His parents died before he was three years old.
In 1769, he joined the College of New Jersey from where he graduated in 1772.
His military career started as a volunteer in 1775 and rose to the rank of
lieutenant colonel. “He joined the staff of George Washington in 1776 when he
was sent to New York City. He and General Washington apparently did not get
along and he left a few weeks later. On June 22 he became an aide-de-camp to
General Putnam eventually seeing action in the Battle of Long Island and the
evacuation of New York City. He was commissioned Lieutenant Colonel of Malcolm's
Regiment on January 4, 1777. He was stationed at Orange County, New York,
essentially the commander of the Regiment at the age of 21”. (ushistory.org)
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Burr in Politics
Because of ill health, Burr resigned from the army in 1779. He resumed his study
of law and after passing bar exams, started practice in New York City Bar in
1782. It was from the early days as a bar member when he developed a rivalry
with Alexander Hamilton. As a lawyer he made a fantastic reputation and was
appointed attorney general of New York in 1789. He became an active politician
and a key player in New York politics. In 1791, he was elected as a Senator. He
organized the Democratic Party in the New York City and his group supported the
Democratic candidate during the presidential elections. In the year 1800, Burr
contested for the presidential election with Thomas Jefferson and both received
equal electoral votes. According to Article II, Section 2, of the U.S.
Constitution, the House of Representative decided the tie and Jefferson was
appointed as president and Burr as vice president. During this episode,
Alexander Hamilton supported Jefferson. In 1804, Burr was nominated to contest
the elections of the governorship of New York, which he lost against the
Republican candidate Morgan Lewis.
The Famous Duel
The Burr-Hamilton rivalry began at the New York City Bar in 1783 and reached its
worst end during the following years. Both criticized and defamed each other
privately as well as publicly. The Federalist leader Hamilton openly opposed
Burr during his political career and especially at the time of his presidential
campaign and elections. Later on he defamed and made insulting comments about
him when he was contesting for New York governorship. These detrimental
incidents climaxed in 1804 and Burr challenged him for a duel. The duel was
fought on July 11, 1804 at Weehawken, New Jersey, in which Hamilton was killed.
After the episode, Burr continued with his official duties in Jefferson
administration until the end of his term.
The Trail
Burr’s life was an amalgam of uncertain events. He was orphaned at a very early
age. He was backed by luck during his academic career and achieved high goals at
a very young age. His entry in politics was welcomed by an immediate success and
was elevated to the second highest administrative office in the Union. He was
happily married to Theodosia Prevost, a widow with five children and ten years
older than him. He was devoted to her till her death in 1794. The turning point
in his life was his duel with Alexander Hamilton and in the later years, the
vague conspiracy plotted by him along with Jonathon Dayton. Burr left Washington
and left for Philadelphia after the duel and there he met Dayton. Both Burr and
Dayton worked on a scheme the intentions of which are still vague.
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“At its grandest, the plan was for Burr to make a massive new nation in the
west, forged from conquered provinces of Mexico and the states west of the
Appalachian Mountains. The plan was working nicely, until General James
Wilkinson, a conspirator, betrayed Burr's plans to the president, who issued a
proclamation for Burr's arrest. Burr read this in a newspaper in the Orleans
Territory on January 10, 1807. He turned himself in to the authorities, but soon
jumped bail and fled for Spanish Florida; he was intercepted on February 20th,
and brought to Richmond for trial, on charges of treason”. (belcherfoundation.org)
After the failure of his plans, Jefferson, who was already against Burr, got him
arrested. He was charged of treason and was put to a state trail in the Court of
Richmond, Virginia. The trail on treason was conducted in the “Fifth Circuit
Court in Richmond (now the Fourth Circuit). During this time, it was customary
for the Supreme Court Justices to sit on Circuit Courts. The Fourth Circuit
Court was presided over by none other than Chief Justice Marshall”. (apva.org)
Chief Justice John Marshall run the trail and Burr was found guilty for treason
on July 24th. However, due to lack of sufficient evidences and the absence of
the legally required two witnesses, he was acquitted on September 1, 1807.
“Controversy surrounded the trial when it was held in 1806-1807. President
Jefferson was subpoenaed to testify, but declined claiming the independence of
his office. Burr was treated hospitably by some of the citizens of Richmond.
Dining on one occasion at John Wickham's home (his defense attorney), question
arose of impropriety when John Marshall attended the same dinner. Others
questioned whether John Randolph of Roanoke should have been named foreman of
the jury given his anti-Jefferson feelings. However a polling of the jury found
that fourteen of the Grand Jurors were Republicans (Jefferson's party) and two
were Federalist (supporters of Marshall's point of view).”(apva.org)
The later years of his life were passed in miserable conditions. After the
trail, he went to Europe and lived there in financial distress till 1812. He
came back to New York and in 1833, married a wealthy widow, Eliza Brown Jumel.
She divorced him after four months of their marriage because of his financial
demands. Burr died on September 14, 1836, in Port Richmond, Staten Island, New
York. (Encarta)
Works Cited
Aaron Burr, November 6, 2002,
http://www.apva.org/apva/aaron.html
Aaron Burr, Encarta Encyclopedia 2002. 1993-2001 Microsoft Corporation,
Biography of President Aaron Burr of Princeton College, November 6, 2002,
http://www.belcherfoundation.org/burr.htm
AARON BURR Biography, November 6, 2002,
http://gi.grolier.com/presidents/ea/vp/vpburr.html
Who Served Here? http://www.ushistory.org/valleyforge/served/burr.html
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