Aaron Burr

Born in Newark, New Jersey, in 1756, Aaron Burr grew up in a prominent family and entered the College of New Jersey, now Princeton, at a remarkably young age. During the American Revolution he served in the Continental Army, then built a successful legal and political career in New York.

Burr became one of the most notable politicians of the early republic, serving as a U.S. senator and then as the third vice president of the United States from 1801 to 1805 under Thomas Jefferson. He is often remembered for the election crisis of 1800 and, even more famously, for the 1804 duel in which Alexander Hamilton was killed.

The rest of his life was marked by controversy. After leaving office, Burr was arrested and tried on charges of treason in 1807 in connection with a western expedition, but he was acquitted. He spent later years practicing law and trying to rebuild his reputation before his death on Staten Island in 1836.