Aaron Burr

Aaron Burr
Portrait c. 1803
3rd Vice President of the United States
In office March 4, 1801 – March 4, 1805
President	Thomas Jefferson
Preceded by	Thomas Jefferson
Succeeded by	George Clinton
United States Senator from New York
In office March 4, 1791 – March 3, 1797
Preceded by	Philip Schuyler
Succeeded by	Philip Schuyler
3rd Attorney General of New York
In office September 29, 1789 – November 8, 1791
Governor	George Clinton
Preceded by	Richard Varick
Succeeded by	Morgan Lewis
Member of the New York State Assembly from New York County
In office July 1, 1784 – June 30, 1785
In office 1798–1799
Personal details
Born	Aaron Burr Jr. (1756-02-06)February 6, 1756 Newark, Province of New Jersey, British America
Died	September 14, 1836(1836-09-14) (aged 80) Staten Island, New York, U.S.
Resting place	Princeton Cemetery
Political party	Democratic-Republican
Spouses	Theodosia Bartow Prevost ​ ​ (m. 1782; died 1794)​ Eliza Jumel ​ ​ (m. 1833; div. 1836)​
Children	8 or more, including Theodosia, John, and Aaron
Parents	Aaron Burr Sr. Esther Edwards
Relatives	Theodore Burr (cousin)
Education	College of New Jersey (AB)
Signature
Military service
Allegiance	United States
Branch/service	Continental Army
Years of service	1775–1779
Rank	Lieutenant colonel
Battles/wars	American Revolutionary War Battle of Quebec Battle of Monmouth

Aaron Burr Jr. (February 6, 1756 – September 14, 1836) was an American politician, businessman, lawyer, and Founding Father who served as the third vice president of the United States from 1801 to 1805 during Thomas Jefferson's first presidential term. He founded the Manhattan Company on September 1, 1799. Burr is remembered for his famous personal and political conflict with Alexander Hamilton, which culminated in the Burr–Hamilton duel in Weehawken, New Jersey on July 11, 1804. Burr mortally wounded Hamilton, who died from his wounds the following day.

Burr was born to a prominent family in what was then the Province of New Jersey. After studying theology at Princeton University, he began his career as a lawyer before joining the Continental Army as an officer in the American Revolutionary War in 1775. After leaving military service in 1779, Burr practiced law in New York City, where he became a leading politician and helped form the new Jeffersonian Democratic-Republican Party. As a New York assemblyman in 1785, he supported a bill to end slavery, despite having owned slaves himself.^[1][2]

In 1791, Burr was elected to the United States Senate, where he served until 1797. He later ran as the Democratic-Republican presidential candidate in the 1800 election. An electoral college tie between Burr and Thomas Jefferson resulted in the House of Representatives voting in Jefferson's favor, with Burr becoming Jefferson's vice president due to receiving the second-highest share of the votes. Although Burr maintained that he supported Jefferson, the president was somewhat at odds with Burr, who was relegated to the sidelines of the administration during his vice presidency and was not selected as Jefferson's running mate in 1804 after the ratification of the 12th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.

During his last year as vice president, Burr engaged in the duel in which he fatally shot Alexander Hamilton, the former Secretary of the Treasury and his political rival, near where Hamilton's son Philip Hamilton had died in a duel three years prior. Although dueling was illegal, Burr was never tried and all charges against him were eventually dropped. Nevertheless, his killing of Hamilton ended Burr's political career.

Burr traveled west to the American frontier, seeking new economic and political opportunities. His secretive activities led to his 1807 arrest in Alabama on charges of treason. He was brought to trial more than once for what became known as the Burr conspiracy, an alleged plot to create an independent country led by Burr, but was acquitted each time. For a short period of time Burr left the United States to live as an expatriate in Europe. He returned in 1812 and resumed practicing law in New York City. Burr died on September 14, 1836, at the age of eighty.