author
Alexander Hamilton
1757–1804
Born in the Caribbean and rising through talent, drive, and ambition, this Founding Father helped shape the new United States in its earliest years. He is remembered above all as the first U.S. secretary of the treasury and a key architect of the nation’s financial system.
3 Audiobooks
The Federalist Papers
by Alexander Hamilton, John Jay, James Madison
The Federalist Papers
by Alexander Hamilton, John Jay, James Madison
About the author
Orphaned young and raised in the West Indies, Alexander Hamilton came to North America as a teenager and quickly stood out for his intelligence and energy. During the American Revolution, he served in the Continental Army and became a close aide to George Washington.
After the war, he trained as a lawyer, argued for a stronger national government, and became one of the leading voices behind the new Constitution. He is especially known as one of the authors of The Federalist Papers, which helped explain and defend the Constitution during the ratification debates.
From 1789 to 1795, Hamilton served as the first secretary of the treasury under President Washington. In that role, he laid out plans for federal credit, a national bank, and other measures that had a lasting effect on the country’s economic foundations. His life ended in 1804 after his famous duel with Aaron Burr, but his influence on American politics and finance has endured ever since.