Aaron Burr,
statesman, born in Newark, New Jersey, 6 February, 1756; died on Staten Island,
New York, 14 September, 1836. His mother was Esther Edwards, the flower of the
remarkable family to which she belonged, celebrated for her beauty as well as
for her superior intellect and devout piety. In the truest sense, Aaron Burr was
well born. Jonathan Edwards, his grandfather, illustrious as divine and
metaphysician, had been elected to succeed his son-in-law as president of
Princeton, but died of a fever, resulting from inoculation for small-pox, before
he had fairly entered upon his work. Mrs. Burr, his daughter, died of a similar
disease sixteen days later. The infant Aaron and his sister Sarah, left doubly
orphaned, were placed in charge of their uncle, the Rev. Timothy Edwards, of
Elizabethtown (now Elizabeth), New Jersey A handsome fortune having been
bequeathed to them by their father, their education was conducted in a liberal
manner; a private tutor was provided, Tapping Reeve, who afterward married his
pupil, Sarah Burr, and became judge of the Supreme Court of Connecticut. A
bright, mischievous boy, and difficult to control Aaron was still sufficiently
studious to be prepared to enter Princeton at the age of eleven, though he was
not admitted on account of his extreme youth. He was very small, but strikingly
handsome, with fine black eyes and the engaging ways that became a fascination
in his maturer life.
In 1769 he was allowed as a favor to enter the sophomore class, though only in
his thirteenth year. He was
a fairly diligent student and an extensive reader, and was graduated with
distinction in September, 1772. Stories of wild dissipation during his College
course are probably exaggerations. Just before his graduation the College was
profoundly stirred by religious excitement, and young Burr, who confessed that
he was moved by the revival, resorted to Dr. Witherspoon, the president, for
advice. The doctor quieted his anxiety by telling him that the excitement was
fanatical. Not entirely satisfied, he went in the autumn of the next year to
live for a while in the family of the famous theologian, Dr. Bellamy, of
Bethlehem, Connecticut, with the ostensible purpose of settling his mind with
regard to the claims of Christianity. The result was a great surprise to his
friends, if not to himself; he deliberately rejected the gospel and adopted the
infidelity then so rife in Europe and America. The form of unbelief accepted by
him was that of Lord Chesterfield, along with his lordship's peculiar views of
morality. Here is probably the key to a comprehension of
Burr's entire life. He resolved to be a "perfect man of the world,"
according to the Chesterfieldian code.
Most of the next year (1774) he passed in Litchfield,
Connecticut, where he began the study of the law under Tapping Reeve, who had
married his sister. At the beginning of the revolution, in 1775, Burr hastened
to join the patriot army near Boston. He had a genuine passion for military
life, and was singularly qualified to excel as a soldier. Here, fretted by
inaction, he resolved to accompany Col. Benedict Arnold in his expedition to
Quebec. Against the expostulations of all his friends and the commands of his
uncle, Timothy, he persisted in his determination. Out of the memorable
hardships and disasters of that expedition young Burr came back with the rank of
major and a brilliant reputation for courage and ability. Soon after his return
he became a member of General Washington's family. From some cause the place did
not please him, and after about six weeks he withdrew from Washington's table
and accepted an appointment as aide to General Putnam.
This incident was extremely unfortunate for him. During
their brief association Burr contracted prejudices against Washington, which
grew into deep dislike, and Washington got impressions of Burr that ripened into
settled distrust. In July, 1777, Burr was promoted to the rank of lieutenant
colonel, with the command of his regiment, the colonel preferring to remain at
home. In September, while occupying the house near Ramapo Pass, of which a
representation is here given, he defeated the enemy near Hackensack and drove
them back to Paulus Hook. At Monmouth he distinguished himself at the head of a
brigade.
While Burr's command lay in Orange County, New York, he
became acquainted with Mrs. Theodosia Prevost, an intelligent and accomplished
lady living at Paramus, widow of an English officer who had recently died in the
West Indies. She was ten years his senior and had two sons. In March, 1779,
after four years of service, he resigned his commission on account of broken
health. In the autumn of 1780, his health having improved, Burr resumed the
study of law, first with Judge Patterson, of New Jersey, and afterward with
Thomas Smith, of Haverstraw, New York On 17 April, 1782, he was admitted to the
bar in Albany, the rule that required three years spent in study having been in
his ease relaxed on account of his service as a soldier. Now, at the age of
twenty-six, he took an office in Albany and almost immediately commanded a large
practice. Being at last in a condition to warrant this step, he married Mrs.
Prevost, 2 July, 1782, and at once began housekeeping in Albany in handsome
style.
In the first year of his marriage his daughter,
Theodosia, was born, the only child of this union. In the latter part of the
next year, just after the British had evacuated the City, he returned to New
York and devoted himself to his profession for eight years, having during that
period twice served as a member of the New York legislature. He stood among the
leaders of the bar, with no rival but Alexander Hamilton. Obtaining possession
of Richmond Hill, a fine New York mansion with ample grounds, he dispensed a
liberal hospitality. Talleyrand, Volney, and Louis Philippe were among his
guests.
In 1788, just after the adoption of the constitution,
Burr entered the arena of politics as a candidate of the anti-federal party,
though he was not distinctly identified with those who nominated him, and soon
afterward he was appointed by Governor Clinton attorney general, an office which
he held for two years. In 1791 he was elected to the United States senate over
General Philip Schuyler, to the great surprise of the country and the keen
disappointment of Hamilton, Schuyler's son-in-law. The federalists had a
majority in the legislature, and Schuyler was one of the pillars of the federal
party. The triumph of Burr under these circumstances was mysterious. For six
years he served in the senate with conspicuous ability, acting steadily with the
Republican Party.
Mrs. Burr died of cancer in 1794. Among the last words
he ever spoke was this testimony to the wife of his youth: "The mother of my
Theo was the best woman and finest lady I have ever known." After her death
the education of his daughter engrossed a large share of his attention. In 1797
the tables turned, and his defeated antagonist, General Schuyler, was almost
unanimously elected to his seat in the senate. Burr was shortly afterward made a
member of the New York assembly. Into the presidential contest of 1800 he
entered with all his energy. The republicans triumphed; but between the two
highest candidates there was a tie, each receiving seventy-three votes, which
threw the election into the House of Representatives. In connection with this
affair, Burr was charged with intriguing to defeat the public will and have
himself chosen to the first office, instead of Jefferson. After a fierce
struggle of seven days, the house elected Jefferson president and Burr
vice-president.
He was then forty-five years old and at the top of his
fortune. His daughter had made a highly satisfactory marriage, and his pecuniary
prospects were improved. In 1801, just before entering upon his duties as
vice-president, he was a member of a convention of the state of New York for
revising its constitution, and was made chairman by unanimous vote. But a great
change was at hand. Near the close of his term of office as vice-president,
Burr, finding himself under a cloud with his party, sought to recover his
popularity by being a candidate for the governorship of New York, but was
defeated by Morgan Lewis. In this contest Alexander Hamilton had put forth his
utmost energies against Burr. Though the relations of these political leaders
had remained outwardly friendly, they had long been rivals, and Hamilton had not
hesitated to express in private his distrust of Burr, and to balk several of his
ambitious projects. In the gubernatorial canvass Hamilton had written concerning
his rival in a very severe manner, and some of his expressions having got into
the newspapers, Burr immediately fastened upon them as ground for a challenge. A
long correspondence ensued, in which Hamilton vainly sought to avoid
extremities. At length the challenge was accepted, and the parties met on the
bank of the Hudson, at Weehawken, New Jersey, at seven o'clock A. M., 7 July,
1804.
At the first fire Hamilton fell mortally wounded. But
Burr's shot was more fatal to himself than to his foe; he left that "field of
honor" a ruined man. The tragedy aroused an unprecedented excitement, before
which Burr felt it wise to fly. The coroner's inquest having returned a verdict
of murder, he escaped to South Carolina and took refuge in the home of his
daughter. Though an indictment for murder was obtained against him, the
excitement subsided, and he was left unmolested. After a season he ventured to
Washington, and completed his term of service as vice-president. Though his
political prospects were now blasted and his name execrated, his bold and
resolute spirit did not break. Courage and fortitude were the cardinal virtues
of his moral code, and his restless mind was already employed with new and vast
projects.
Early in 1805 he turned his course toward the great
west, then a new world. From Pittsburgh he floated in a boat, specially built
for him, down to New Orleans, stopping at many points, and often receiving
enthusiastic attention. After some time spent in the southwest, he slowly
returned to Washington, where he sought from the president an appointment
suitable to his dignity. Foiled in this effort, he turned more earnestly to his
mysterious western projects. His purpose seems to have been to collect a body of
followers and conquer Texas--perhaps Mexico--establishing there a republic of
which he should be the head. With this he associated the hope that the western
states, ultimately falling away from the union, would cast in their lot with
him, making New Orleans the capital of the new nation. As a rendezvous and
refuge for his followers, he actually bought a vast tract of land on Washita
river, for which the sum of $40,000 was to be paid. It was a wild scheme, and,
if not technically treasonable, was so near to it as to make him a public enemy.
Events had advanced rapidly, and Burr's plans were nearly ripe for execution,
when the president, who had not been ignorant of what was maturing, issued a
proclamation, 27 October, 1806, denouncing the enterprise and warning the people
against it. The project immediately collapsed. On 14 January, 1807, Burr was
arrested in Mississippi territory, and, having escaped, was again arrested in
Alabama, whence he was conveyed to Richmond, Virginia Here was held the
memorable trial for treason, beginning 22 May, 1807, and lasting, with some
interruptions, for six months. In the array of distinguished counsel, William
Wirt was pre-eminent for the prosecution and Luther Martin for the defense. Burr
himself took an active part in the case. On 1 September the jury returned a
verdict of not guilty on the indictment for treason, and some time afterward the
prisoner was acquitted, on technical grounds, of the charge of misdemeanor.
Though Burr was now free, his good name was not restored
by the issue of the trial, and he soon sailed for England, still animated by new
schemes and hopes. After various adventures in that country, he was expelled as
an "embarrassing" person, and went to Sweden. Having spent some time in
Copenhagen and various cities of Germany, he reached Paris in February, 1810.
Here, kept under government surveillance, and refused permission to return to
the United States, he was reduced to the severest pecuniary straits. Returning
again to England, he was obliged to remain there in desperate extremities for a
year and a half.
At last he got away in the ship "Aurora," and
reached Boston in May, 1812. Disguised under the name of Arnot, as well as with
wig, whiskers, and strange garments, the returning exile entered the City in a
most humiliating plight. The government prosecutions still hung over his head,
and some of his creditors had executions against him, which might throw him into
a prison. He ventured to New York, however, reaching that place four years after
leaving it. He soon opened an office in Nassau Street, old friends rallied
around him, and the future began to brighten somewhat, when he was stunned by
the information that his only grandchild, Theodosia's son, aged eleven, was
dead. A still more crushing blow soon came. The daughter, who was his idol,
perished at sea while on a voyage from Charleston to New York in January, 1813.
Burr was now fifty-seven years old. Shunned by society,
though with a considerable practice, he lived on for twenty-three years. At the
age of seventy-eight he married Madame Jumel, widow of a French merchant, who
had a considerable fortune. The union soon proved unhappy, owing to Burr's
reckless use of his wife's money, and they finally separated, though not
divorced. In his last days Burr was dependent on the charity of a Scotch woman,
a friend of former years, for a home. He died at Port Richmond, Staten Island,
and his remains lie, according to his request, in the cemetery at Princeton,
near those of his honored father and grandfather.
In person, Burr was small, often being spoken of as "
little Burr," but his appearance and manners were fascinating. In his ease
the finest gifts of nature and fortune were spoiled by unsound moral principles
and the absence of all genuine convictions. His habits were licentious. He was a
master of intrigue, though to little purpose. He was a respectable lawyer and
speaker, but lacked the qualities of a statesman. Dauntless resolution and cool
self-possession never forsook him. On the morning of his duel with Hamilton he
was found by a friend in a sound sleep. Though a skeptic, he was not a scoffer.
In his last hours he said of the holy Scriptures : "They are the most perfect
system of truth the world has ever seen."
--His daughter,
Theodosia Burr, born in New York City in 1783; died at sea in
January, 1813, was one of the most highly accomplished and brilliant of American
women. Her father, to whom she was an object of pride as well as passionate
affection, devoted himself to informing her mind and training her character in
accordance with his own ideal of womanhood. In her tenth year she read Horace
and Terence in the original Latin, spoke French, and was studying the Greek
grammar. He was as careful of her physical as of her mental education, and
sought to develop the independence of thought and self-reliance that was
universally discouraged at the time in the training of girls. After her mother's
death, in 1794, Theodosia became mistress of her father's house and the
companion of his leisure hours.
Encyclopedia
Americana: Aaron Burr
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BURR, Aaron, clergyman, born in
Fairfield, Connecticut, 4 January, 1716; died 24 September, 1757. He belonged to
a Puritan family that for three generations had given to church and state men of
eminence. He was graduated at Yale in his nineteenth year, having gained one of
the three Berkeley scholarships, which entitled him to maintenance at the
College for two years after graduating. While pursuing his post-graduate studies
he was converted, and at once turned his attention to theology.
At the age of twenty-two he became pastor of the Presbyterian church in
Newark, New Jersey, where he soon acquired a commanding reputation as a pulpit
orator. Here he also established a school for boys, which proved highly
successful. He prepared for his pupils a Latin grammar known as the "Newark
Grammar" (1752), which was long in use at Princeton. In later years he
published a small work on the "Supreme Deity of Our Lord Jesus Christ"
(new ed., 1791), with an occasional sermon.
In 1748, at the age of thirty-two, he became president of the
College of New Jersey, but
without interrupting his pastoral service. In the summer of 1752 he married
Esther, daughter of Jonathan Edwards, of Stockbridge, Massachusetts. In the
autumn of 1756 he resigned his charge at Newark and removed to Princeton, where
he died from overwork. He left two children, Sarah, born 3 May, 1754, and Aaron.
As scholar, preacher, author, and educator, President Burr was one of the
foremost men of his time. To his more solid qualities were added a certain grace
and distinguished style of manner, which re-appeared in his son. Though
nominally the second president of Princeton, he was practically the first, since
the former. Jonathan
Dickinson, only served for a few months. He was in a true sense its founder,
and the College may be said to be his monument. Six of its presidents are buried
in Princeton by his side.
During an unsuccessful campaign for
governor of New York in 1804, Burr was often referred to in published
articles written by
Alexander Hamilton, a long-time political rival and son-in-law of
Philip Schuyler, the first U.S. senator from New York, whom Burr defeated
in Schuyler's bid for re-election in 1791. Taking umbrage at remarks made by
Hamilton at a dinner party and Hamilton's subsequent failure to account for
the remarks,
Burr challenged Hamilton to a
duel on July 11,
1804, at the
Heights of Weehawken in
New
Jersey, at which he mortally wounded Hamilton. Easily the most famous duel
in U.S. history, it had immense political ramifications. Burr was indicted for
murder in both New York and New Jersey (though these charges were either later
dismissed or resulted in acquittal), and the harsh criticism and animosity
directed towards him brought about an end to his political career in the East,
though he remained a popular figure in the West and South. Further, Hamilton's
untimely death would fatally weaken the remnants of the
Federalist Party.
After Burr left the vice presidency at the end of his term in 1805, he
journeyed into what was then the West, particularly the
Ohio
River Valley and the lands acquired in the
Louisiana Purchase. Burr was preparing to lead a filibuster into
Spanish possessions in
Mexico in
case of war with Spain, which would have been perfectly legal and at the time
was very possible. Due to the power of rumur and the sullying of Burr's name
by means of claims as far-fetched as Burr's desire to secede from the United
States and form his own monarchy in the western half of North America, Burr
was arrested in 1807 and brought to trial on charges of
treason,
for which he was acquitted.[1]
After several years in self-imposed
exile in
Europe, Burr returned to practicing law in
New
York City and lived a largely reclusive existence until his death.
In 1772, he received his
A.B. in theology at Princeton University, but changed his career path two
years later and began the study of law in the celebrated law school conducted
by Reeve, at
Litchfield, Connecticut. His studies were put on hold while he served
during the Revolutionary War, under Generals
Benedict Arnold, George Washington (for two weeks), and
Israel Putnam.
Military service
During the Revolutionary War, Aaron Burr took part in General
Benedict Arnold's
invasion of Canada (1775) where they went on an arduous trek of over 500
miles in the freezing cold of winter. At a battle in
Maine, an
injured Burr was helped to get off the battlefield by a former
Princeton College classmate,
Samuel Spring. Upon arriving before the
Battle of Quebec (1775), Burr was sent up the St. Lawrence River to make
contact with General
Richard Montgomery, who had taken Montreal, and escorted him to Quebec.
Montgomery promoted Burr as captain and made him an
aide-de-camp. Although Montgomery was killed while attempting to capture
the city of
Quebec during a fierce snow storm on December 31, 1775, Burr distinguished
himself with brave actions against the British.
Burr's courage made him a national hero and earned a place on Washington's
staff in
Manhattan, but he quit after two weeks because he wanted to return to the
battlefield. Never hesitant to voice his opinions, Burr may have set
Washington against him; however, rumors that Washington then distrusted Burr
have never been substantiated.
General Israel Putnam took Burr under his wing; by his vigilance in the
retreat from lower Manhattan to Harlem, Burr saved an entire
brigade
(including Alexander Hamilton, who was one of its officers) from capture. In a
stark departure from common practice, Washington failed to commend Burr's
actions in the next day's General Orders (the fastest way to obtain a
promotion in rank). Although Burr was already a nationally known hero, he
never received a commendation. According to Burr's stepbrother Matthew Ogden,
Burr was infuriated by the incident, which may have led to the eventual
estrangement between him and Washington.[2][3]
On becoming a
lieutenant colonel in July 1777, Burr assumed virtual leadership of
Malcolm's Additional Continental Regiment. There were approximately 300
men under Colonel William Malcolm command. The regiment successfully fought
off continuous nighttime raids into central New Jersey by English troops
sailing over from Manhattan, crushing those forces. During the harsh winter
encampment at
Valley Forge, Burr was put in charge of a small contingent guarding the "Gulph,"
an isolated pass commanding the approach to the camp, and necessarily the
first point that would be attacked. Burr enforced discipline there,
successfully defeating a mutiny by some of the troops.
On June 28, 1778 at the
Battle of Monmouth, his regiment was decimated by British artillery, and
in the day's terrible heat, Burr suffered a heat
stroke from which he would never quite recover. In January 1779, Burr was
assigned to the command of the lines of
Westchester County, a region between the British post at
Kingsbridge and that of the U.S. about 15 miles (24 km) to the north. In
this district there was much turbulence and plundering by the lawless elements
of both
Whigs and
Tories, and by bands of ill-disciplined soldiers from both armies. Burr
established a thorough patrol system, rigorously enforced
martial
law, and quickly restored order.
He resigned from the
Continental Army in March 1779 due to bad health and renewed his study of
law. Though
technically no longer in the service, he remained active in the war: he was
assigned by General Washington to perform occasional intelligence missions for
Continental generals such as
Arthur St. Clair, and on July 5, 1779, he rallied a group of
Yale students at
New Haven along with Capt.
James Hillhouse and the
Second Connecticut Governors Foot Guard in a skirmish with the British at
the West River. The British advance was repulsed, having to enter New Haven
from
Hamden.
Despite these activities, Burr was able to finish his studies and was
admitted to the
bar at
Albany in 1782. He began to practice in New York City after the British
evacuated the city the following year. He lived in
Richmond Hill, Manhattan, an area just outside of Greenwich Village.
Marriage
In 1782, Aaron Burr married Theodosia Bartow Prevost, the widow of
James Marcus Prevost (see
The Hermitage), a British army officer who had died in the
West Indies during the Revolutionary War. They moved to New York City,
where Burr's reputation as a brilliant trial lawyer was well known. They had
two daughters who survived birth, only one of whom grew to adulthood, named
Theodosia, after her mother. The marriage lasted until the elder Theodosia's
death from stomach cancer twelve years later. Born in 1783, his daughter
Theodosia became widely known for her education and accomplishments. She
married
Joseph Alston of
South Carolina in 1801, and bore a son who died of fever at ten years of
age. She died either due to
piracy or in
a shipwreck
off the
Carolinas in the winter of 1812 or early 1813.
In 1833, at age 77, Burr married again, this time to
Eliza Bowen Jumel, the extremely wealthy widow of
Stephen Jumel. When she realized her fortune was dwindling from her
husband's
land speculation, they separated after only four months. The divorce
between Burr and Jumel was finalized on September 14, 1836, the day of Burr's
death.
Legal and early political career
Burr served in the New York State Assembly from 1784 to 1785, but became
seriously involved in politics in 1789, when
George Clinton appointed him New York State Attorney General. He was
commissioner of Revolutionary War claims in 1791, and that same year was
elected to the
United States Senate over the incumbent, General Philip Schuyler, and
served there until 1797.
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 introduced by Burr to
James Madison, whom she subsequently married.
Although Hamilton and Burr had long been on good personal terms, often
dining with one another[citation
needed], Burr's defeat of General Schuyler, Hamilton's
father-in-law, probably drove the first major wedge into their friendship.
Nevertheless, their relationship took a decade to reach a status of enmity.
As a U.S. senator, Burr was not a favorite in President George Washington's
eyes. He sought to write an official Revolutionary history, but Washington
blocked his access to the
archives, possibly because the former colonel had been a noted critic of
his leadership, and possibly because he regarded Burr as a schemer. Washington
also passed over Burr for the ministry to
France. After
being appointed commanding general of U.S. 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. Adams 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."[4]
Hamilton, who by then despised Burr, still had Washington's ear at this time.
Burr is said to have despised Washington "as a man of no talents and one who
could not spell a sentence of common English." However, Washington's wartime
strategies may have colored Burr's opinion of the General. (Sources: Schachner;
Lomask.)
Bored with the inactivity of the new U.S. Senate, Burr ran for and was
elected to the New York State Assembly, serving from 1798 through 1801. During
John Adams' 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 to help Jefferson reach the presidency. In 1799, Burr
founded the Bank of the Manhattan Company, which in later years evolved into
the
Chase Manhattan Bank and later
JPMorgan Chase.
In 1800, New York presidential electors were to be chosen by the state
legislature as they had been in 1796 (for John Adams). The state assembly was
controlled by the Federalists going into the April 1800 legislative elections.
In the city of New York, assembly members were to be selected on an at-large
basis. Burr and Hamilton were the key organizers for their respective parties
in Republican slate of assemblymen for New York City elected, gaining control
of the legislature and in due course giving New York's electoral votes to
Jefferson and winning the 1800 presidential election for him. This drove
another wedge between Hamilton and Burr. Burr became
U.S. Vice President during Jefferson's first term (1801-1805).
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 but also spent much time at Hamilton's
house. When Burr, after the Hamilton duel and treason trial, traveled Europe
in an attempt to recoup his fortunes,
Talleyrand refused him entrance into France. Talleyrand was an ardent
admirer of Alexander Hamilton and 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."
Vice Presidency
Because of his influence in New York City and the New York legislature,
Burr was asked by Jefferson and Madison to help the Jeffersonians in the
election of 1800. Burr sponsored a bill through the New York Assembly that
established a water utility company that also allowed the
Democratic-Republicans to create a bank for Jefferson's campaign. Another
crucial move was Burr's success in getting his slate of New York City and
nearby Electors to win election, thus defeating the Federalist slate, which
was chosen and backed by Alexander Hamilton. This event drove a further wedge
between the former friends.
Burr is known as the father of modern political campaigning. He enlisted
the help of members of Tammany Hall, a social club, and won the election. He
was then placed on the Democratic-Republican presidential ticket in the 1800
election with Jefferson. At the time,
state legislatures chose the members of the
U.S. Electoral College, and New York was crucial to Jefferson. Though
Jefferson did win New York, he and Burr tied for the presidency with 73
electoral votes each.
It was well understood that the party intended that Jefferson should be
president and Burr vice president, but the responsibility for the final choice
belonged to the
House of Representatives. The attempts of a powerful faction among the
Federalists to secure the election of Burr failed, partly due to opposition by
Alexander Hamilton and partly due to Burr himself, who did little to obtain
votes in his own favor. He wrote to Jefferson underscoring his promise to be
vice president, and again during the voting stalemate in the Congress wrote
again that he would give it up entirely if Jefferson so demanded. Ultimately,
the election devolved to the point where it took 36
ballots
before
James A. Bayard, a
Delaware
Federalist, submitted a blank vote. Federalist abstentions in the
Vermont and
Maryland
delegations led to Jefferson's election as President, and Burr’s moderate
Federalist supporters conceded his defeat.
Upon confirmation of Jefferson’s election, Burr became Vice President of
the United States, but despite his letters and his shunning of any political
activity during the balloting (he never left Albany) he lost Jefferson's trust
after that, and was effectively shut out of party matters. Some historians
conjecture that the reason for this was Burr's casual regard for politics, and
that he didn't act aggressively enough during the election tie. Jefferson was
tight-lipped in private about Burr, so his reasons are still not entirely
clear. However, Burr's even-handed fairness and his judicial manner as
President of the Senate were praised even by some of his enemies, and he
fostered some time-honored traditions in regard to that office. Historian
Forrest MacDonald has credited Burr's judicial manner in presiding over the
impeachment trial of Justice Samuel Chase with helping to preserve the
principle of judicial independence that was established by
Marbury v. Madison in 1803. It was written by one Senator that Burr
had conducted the proceedings with the "impartiality of an angel and the rigor
of a devil."
Burr's farewell in March 1805 moved some of his harshest critics in the
Senate to tears. However, except for short quotes and descriptions of the
address, which defended America's system of government, it was never recorded
in full.
Duel with Alexander Hamilton
When it became clear that Jefferson would drop Burr from his ticket in the
1804 election, the Vice President ran for the governorship of New York
instead. Burr lost the election, and blamed his loss on a personal smear
campaign believed to have been orchestrated by his own party rivals, including
New York governor
George Clinton.
Alexander Hamilton also opposed Burr, due to his belief that Burr had
entertained a Federalist secession movement in New York. But Hamilton, Burr
felt, went too far at one political dinner, where he said that he could
express a "still more despicable opinion" of Burr. After a letter regarding
the incident written by Dr.
Charles D. Cooper was published in the
Albany Register, Burr sought an explanation from Hamilton.
Instead Hamilton responded casually by educating Burr on the many possible
meanings of despicable, enraging and embarrassing Burr. Burr then demanded
that Hamilton recant or deny anything he might have said regarding Burr’s
character over the past 15 years, but Hamilton, having already been disgraced
by the
Maria Reynolds scandal and ever mindful of his own reputation and honor,
did not. Burr responded by challenging Hamilton to personal combat under the
code
duello, the formalized rules of dueling. Both men had been involved in
numerous duels in the past, though most had never reached the dueling field.
Hamilton's eldest son, Philip, had died in a duel in 1801.
Although still quite common, dueling had been outlawed in New York, and the
punishment for conviction of dueling was death. It was illegal in New Jersey
as well, but the consequences were less severe. On July 11, 1804, the enemies
met outside of
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