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Aaron Burr | |
|---|---|
 Portrait c. 1801 | |
| 3rd Vice President of the United States | |
| In office March 4, 1801 – March 4, 1805 | |
| President | Thomas Jefferson |
| Preceded by | Thomas Jefferson |
| Succeeded by | George Clinton |
| United States Senator from New York | |
| In office March 4, 1791 – March 3, 1797 | |
| Preceded by | Philip Schuyler |
| Succeeded by | Philip Schuyler |
| 3rd Attorney General of New York | |
| In office September 29, 1789 – November 8, 1791 | |
| Governor | George Clinton |
| Preceded by | Richard Varick |
| Succeeded by | Morgan Lewis |
| Member of the New York State Assembly from New York County | |
| In office July 1, 1798 – June 30, 1799 | |
| In office July 1, 1784 – June 30, 1785 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Aaron Burr Jr. February 6, 1756 Newark, Province of New Jersey, British America |
| Died | September 14, 1836 (aged 80) Staten Island, New York, U.S. |
| Resting place | Princeton Cemetery |
| Political party | Democratic-Republican |
| Spouses | |
| Children | 10 or more, including Theodosia, John, and Aaron |
| Parents | |
| Relatives | Theodore Burr (cousin) |
| Education | College of New Jersey (AB) |
| Signature |  |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance | United States |
| Branch/service | Continental Army |
| Years of service | 1775–1779 |
| Rank | Lieutenant colonel |
| Battles/wars | |
Aaron Burr Jr. (February 6, 1756 – September 14, 1836) was an American politician, businessman, lawyer, and Founding Father who served as the third vice president of the United States from 1801 to 1805 during Thomas Jefferson's first presidential term. He founded the Manhattan Company on September 1, 1799. Burr is remembered for his famous personal and political conflict with Alexander Hamilton, which culminated in the Burr–Hamilton duel in Weehawken, New Jersey, on July 11, 1804. Burr mortally wounded Hamilton, who died from his wounds the following day.
Burr was born to a prominent family in what was then the Province of New Jersey. After studying theology at Princeton University, he began his career as a lawyer before joining the Continental Army as an officer in the American Revolutionary War in 1775. After leaving military service in 1779, Burr practiced law in New York City, where he became a leading politician and helped form the new Jeffersonian Democratic-Republican Party. As a New York assemblyman in 1785, he supported a bill to end slavery, despite having owned slaves himself.[1][2]
In 1791, Burr was elected to the United States Senate, where he served until 1797. He later ran as the Democratic-Republican vice-presidential candidate in the 1800 election. An electoral college tie between Burr and Thomas Jefferson resulted in the House of Representatives voting in Jefferson's favor, with Burr becoming Jefferson's vice president due to receiving the second-highest share of the votes. Although Burr maintained that he supported Jefferson, the president was somewhat at odds with Burr, who was relegated to the sidelines of the administration during his vice presidency and was not selected as Jefferson's running mate in 1804 after the ratification of the 12th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.
During his last full year as vice president, Burr engaged in the duel in which he fatally shot Alexander Hamilton, the former Secretary of the Treasury and his political rival, near where Hamilton's son Philip Hamilton had died in a duel three years prior. Although dueling was illegal, Burr was never tried and all charges against him were eventually dropped. Nevertheless, his killing of Hamilton ended Burr's political career.
Burr traveled west to the American frontier, seeking new economic and political opportunities. His secretive activities led to his 1807 arrest in Alabama on charges of treason. He was brought to trial more than once for what became known as the Burr conspiracy, an alleged plot to create an independent country led by Burr, but was acquitted each time. For a short period of time Burr left the United States to live as an expatriate in Europe. He returned in 1812 and resumed practicing law in New York City. Burr died on September 14, 1836, at the age of 80.
- ^ Weil, Julie Zauzmer; Blanco, Adrian; Dominguez, Leo (January 20, 2022). "More than 1,700 congressmen once enslaved Black people. This is who they were, and how they shaped the nation". Washington Post. Retrieved January 30, 2022.
- ^ Burr, Sherri. "Aaron Burr Jr. and John Pierre Burr: A Founding Father and his Abolitionist Son". slavery.princeton.edu.