Aaron Burr

:Alternate meaning: Rev. Aaron Burr, Sr.

Legal and early political career

Burr's main rival for dominance of the New York bar was Alexander Hamilton. He served in the New York State Assembly from 1784 to 1785, but Burr became seriously involved in politics in 1789, when George Clinton appointed him Attorney General of New York. He was commissioner of Revolutionary War claims in 1791, and that same year he defeated a favored candidate -- Alexander Hamilton's father-in-law, General Philip Schuyler -- for a seat in the United States Senate, and served in the upper house of the US Congress until 1797.

Related Topics:
Alexander Hamilton - New York State Assembly - 1784 - 1785 - 1789 - George Clinton - Attorney General of New York - 1791 - Philip Schuyler - United States Senate - US Congress - 1797

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While Burr and Jefferson served during the Washington administration, the Federal Government was resident in Philadelphia. They both roomed for a time at the boarding house of a Mrs. Payne. Her daughter Dolley, an attractive young widow, was being squired by, among others, Hamilton. It is believed that Burr introduced her to James Madison, whom she subseqently married. Whether he did this to thwart Hamilton may never be known.

Related Topics:
Philadelphia - Dolley - James Madison

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Although Hamilton and Burr had long been on good personal terms, often dining with one another, Burr's defeat of General Schuyler marks the beginning of their personal quarrel. Hamilton felt Burr?s victory to be tantamount to betrayal, although some have argued that Burr did not seek the senatorial nomination. Nevertheless, Hamilton masked his dislike of Burr for a decade, remaining outwardly friendly toward his rival.

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As a U.S. Senator, Burr continued to fall from grace in President George Washington's eyes. He sought to write an official Revolutionary history, but Washington blocked Burr's access to the archives, possibly because the former colonel had been a noted critic of his leadership, and because he regarded Burr as a schemer. Washington also passed over Burr for the ministry to France. After being appointed commanding general of American forces by President John Adams in 1798, Washington turned down Burr's application for a brigadier general's commission during the Quasi-war with France. Washington wrote, "By all that I have known and heard, Colonel Burr is a brave and able officer, but the question is whether he has not equal talents at intrigue?" Burr later told Hamilton that "he despised Washington as a man of no talents and one who could not spell a sentence of common English."

Related Topics:
George Washington - Archives - France - John Adams - 1798 - Brigadier general - Quasi-war with France

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Burr was not reelected to the Senate in 1797, and instead went into the New York state legislature, serving from 1798 through 1801. During John Adams's term as President, national parties became clearly defined. Burr loosely associated himself with the Democratic-Republicans, though he had moderate Federalist allies, such as Sen. Jonathan Dayton of New Jersey. Burr quickly became a key player in New York politics, more powerful in time than Hamilton, largely because of the Tammany Society, later to become the infamous Tammany Hall, which Burr converted from a social club into a political machine.

Related Topics:
New York state legislature - John Adams - National parties - Federalist - Jonathan Dayton - Tammany Society - Tammany Hall - Political machine

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During the French Revolution, French diplomat Charles Maurice de Talleyrand, in need of sanctuary to escape the Terror, stayed in Burr's home in New York City. Later, when Burr fled the United States after the Hamilton duel and treason trial, Talleyrand refused him entrance into France. This is because Talleyrand had spend much more time at Hamilton's than he had at Burr's and had been an ardent admirer of Alexander Hamilton. He had even once written: "I consider Napoleon, Fox, and Hamilton, the three greatest men of our epoch, and if I were forced to decide between the three, I would give without hesitation the first place to Hamilton. He had divined Europe."

Related Topics:
French Revolution - Charles Maurice de Talleyrand - New York City - Talleyrand

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