Alexander Hamilton: podcast appearances and interviews

Alexander Hamilton (January 11, 1755 or 1757 – July 12, 1804) was an American military officer, statesman, and Founding Father who served as the first U.S. secretary of the treasury from 1789 to 1795 under President George Washington. Born out of wedlock on the Caribbean island of Nevis, he was orphaned as a child and taken in by a prosperous merchant. Hamilton pursued his education at King's College, now Columbia University, in New York City, where he became an active pamphleteer and advocate for the American Revolution. During the Revolutionary War, he served as an artillery officer and aide-de-camp to George Washington, participating in key battles including the Siege of Yorktown which secured American independence. After the war, Hamilton served as a delegate to the Congress of the Confederation and later practiced law, founding the Bank of New York. He played a pivotal role in the Annapolis Convention of 1786 and was a delegate to the Philadelphia Convention, which drafted the U.S. Constitution. Hamilton authored much of The Federalist Papers, helping to secure ratification. As Secretary of the Treasury, he promoted a strong central government, a diversified economy, and created the First Bank of the United States. He also supported establishing the U.S. Revenue Cutter Service and facilitated trade with Britain through the Jay Treaty. Hamilton's political views led to the formation of the Federalist Party, opposed by Thomas Jefferson's Democratic-Republicans. After resigning from government service, he remained active in legal and political affairs, advocating for the abolition of the Atlantic slave trade and supporting the Haitian Revolution. He was involved in the Quasi-War with France and was appointed major general by President John Adams. His opposition to Thomas Jefferson's presidential re-election and his conflict with Aaron Burr culminated in a pistol duel in Weehawken, during which he was fatally wounded.