Page 177 - Beers With Our Founding Fathers

A Patriot’s view of the history and direction of our Country

Alexander Hamilton
th
th
January 11 1757 to July 12 1806
Founding Father, Assistant to General Washington, Secretary of the

Treasury

John Adams described Alexander Hamilton as “…the bastard of
a Scottish peddler…”; Hamilton was a bastard child. He was born in

the West Indies, also a colony of England. His mother had an extra-

marital affair and her husband left. Hamilton and his mother then
lived with his biological father, until he also abandoned them.
Impoverished, Hamilton began working at age eleven and was later

economically supported for his early education in America by his

employer. In 1773, at age sixteen, he attended King’s College (now
Columbia), but was enthralled with the politics of the conflict

between the colonies and England.
In 1774 he wrote his first essay in support of the colonies, and

shortly thereafter left the college to seek his own success. In 1775
he joined the colonial army and fought in several battles, including

under General George Washington. He was promoted to Lieutenant
Colonel and became Washington’s assistant. For the next five years

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