Alexander Hamilton A Concise Biography

by Broadus Mitchell

His violent death at the hands of a former vice president cut him down before he reached fifty, but Alexander Hamilton still lived a life of renaissance soldier; statesman; politician; financier; writer; orator; intellectual . In this concise biography, famed Hamilton specialist Broadus Mitchell describes the extraordinary passage of this truly self-made man; from child born out of West Indian wedlock to American Founding Father and architect of the young republic. Mitchell’s stature as Hamilton’s foremost biographer gives this narrative an unrivaled authority and depth. He tracks his subject through Revolutionary War hard times and fierce colonial controversies. His account of Hamilton’s political philosophy will demolish forever the image of him as a brazen aristocrat. Alexander A Concise Biography presents a great national leader in the context of his times.

Genres: Biography, History

395 pages, Hardcover

First published May 13, 1976

About the author

Broadus Mitchell was an historian, professor, and author. He attended the University of South Carolina, graduating in 1913, and went on to study at Johns Hopkins University, where he received his Ph.D. in 1918. He taught economics at Johns Hopkins University from 1919–1939, Occidental College 1939–1941, New York University 1942–1949, Rutgers 1949–1958, and Hofstra 1958–1967.

Reviews

[Bruce · Rating 5 out of 5]

Broadus Mitchell who in his long life was recognized as THE expert on Alexander Hamilton wrote
several long and short versions of his life. This one is an abridged version of his multi-volume biography and is useful and informative.

Hamilton was a prodigy who overcame humbler circumstances than any other of the Founding Fathers I can think of. He was of illegitimate birth born in the West Indies in 1755. He was a bright kid and
a merchant he worked for sent him to New York for an education which he got at Kings College now
Columbia University. It was a short step to Revolutionary activities and when the shooting started he
raised a company of volunteers.

After the Battle of Princeton he became a staff officer to the man himself, George Washington. His
relationship with Washington was like with the father he never had. In fact among Washington's
top commanders and his staff there was a filial devotion you would rarely see. Washington was that kind of leader.

After Yorktown and the surrender of the British, Hamilton got elected to the Continental Congress
and started campaigning for a new form government, a strong national government. Possibly
because of where he was from and his birth Hamilton until the day he died always thought in terms
of a whole nation. He was from New York, but that was a secondary allegiance.

He represented New York at the Constitutional Convention and fought hard in his home state to
get the new Constitution adopted. He, James Madison, and John Jay wrote a series of essays, the Federalist Papers which put forth their arguments. Those three may be the reason the Constitution
was adopted, the clear and simple arguments put forth won the day.

When George Washington became our first president it was taken for granted that Hamilton would
be part of his Cabinet which only consisted of 4 offices back then. He became our first Secretary of
the Treasury.

Hamilton thought it critical and essential that industries would develop and that a commercial
class of bankers and merchants develop. He had a plan some of which consisted of a protective
tariff for new industries, the federal government assuming all debt obligations of states, and a
national bank charted by the Federal government.

All this was opposed by Secretary of State Thomas Jefferson, both openly and sub rosa with people
in Congress and out who had this same point of view. Hamilton and Jefferson quarreled over
foreign policy as well with Jefferson as a Francophile and Hamilton desiring closer relations with
Great Britain. Only Washington favored neutrality in fact. After both Hamilton and Jefferson left
the cabinet Washington in the last years of his presidency came down on Hamilton's side.

But his successor was John Adams who was Vice President and pretty ignored during the administration setting a pattern for the office which has not much official power in any event.
Adams for the first two years of his presidency gave little direction and the cabinet which he inherited from Washington were Hamilton's friends and took direction from him. When Adams did
reassert control the Federalists were fatally split. Thomas Jefferson in 1800 was elected our
third president.

Hamilton in these years was a young elder statesman and he got into a public quarrel with Jefferson's Vice President Aaron Burr. In 1804 they fought a duel in which Hamilton was killed.

Hamilton remains a fascinating character to this day. He was brilliant, but also inclined to be vain
and headstrong. He also had a world class libido, still he managed to father 8 kids with wife
Elizabeth Schuyler so she certainly got some attention.

When different people were being discussed to replace some who are on our currency there was
talk of Hamilton's replacement among others. That was squelched because if anyone was entitled
to be on American money it was Alexander Hamilton.

[Donald Powell · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read many years ago. I remember it as a good biography as a part of my growing interest in American History.

[Bachorb · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was an interesting book but not terribly well-written. The author is obsessed with every detail of Hamilton's life to the point where it's impossible to discern any broader point or narrative. Still worth the read though - some of the details are quite interesting, but they come across as just that - details.

[Margie · Rating 2 out of 5]

These biographies are bogged down in detail, when I just want the essence of the man. But I will keep trying to determine what I am after.