Aaron Burr Jr. (February 6, 1756 – September 14, 1836) was an American politician, businessman, and lawyer who served as the third vice president of the United States from 1801 to 1805, during Thomas Jefferson's first presidential term. A member of the Democratic-Republican Party, he is primarily remembered for the killing of Founding Father Alexander Hamilton in a duel, as well as his conspiracy to take parts of the United States or the Spanish Empire to form an independent country.
Burr was born to a prominent family in what was then the Province of New Jersey. After studying theology at College of New Jersey, 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.
In 1791, Burr was elected to the United States Senate, where he served until 1797. He later ran in the 1800 presidential election. An Electoral College tie between Burr and Thomas Jefferson resulted in the U.S. 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.
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 in Europe. He returned in 1812 and resumed practicing law in New York City. He died of a stroke on September 14, 1836, at the age of 80.
Aaron Burr Jr. was born on February 6, 1756, in Newark, in what was then the Province of New Jersey, one of the Thirteen Colonies of colonial era British America. He was the second child of the Reverend Aaron Burr Sr., a Presbyterian minister and co-founder of the College of New Jersey (now Princeton University) of which he served as the school's second president after his election in 1748.
His mother, Esther Edwards Burr, was the daughter of Jonathan Edwards, a philosopher-theologian, and his wife Sarah Edwards, a missionary. He had one older sister, Sarah, who was also known as Sally.
On September 24, 1757, Burr Sr. died after experiencing exhaustion and a high fever in the weeks prior to his death. Jonathan Edwards, Burr's maternal grandfather, briefly became the third president of the university for two months, having succumbed to a high fever related to a smallpox inoculation on March 22, 1758. Sixteen days later, Burr's mother Esther, died from a fever on April 7, 1758. While traveling with their maternal grandmother Sarah to what was to be their new home in Philadelphia, Sarah died on October 2, 1758, from dysentery. Burr and his sister Sally were orphaned at the age of two years old and three years old respectively.
Young Burr and his sister were then placed with the William Shippen family in Philadelphia, the capital of British America. The following year, in 1759, the children's guardianship was assumed by their 21-year-old maternal uncle, Timothy Edwards. The following year, Edwards married Rhoda Ogden, and moved the family to Elizabeth, New Jersey, where Burr attended the Elizabethtown Academy. Burr had a very strained relationship with his uncle, who was often physically abusive. As a child, he made several attempts to run away from home.
At age 13, Burr was admitted to the College of New Jersey as a sophomore, where he joined the American Whig Society and the Cliosophic Society, the college's literary and debating societies. In 1772, at age 16, he received his Bachelor of Arts degree, but continued studying theology at Princeton for an additional year. He then undertook rigorous theological training with Joseph Bellamy, a Presbyterian, but changed his career path after two years. At age 19, he moved to Litchfield, Connecticut, to study law with his brother-in-law Tapping Reeve, founder of the Litchfield Law School and husband of his sister Sally. In 1775, news reached Litchfield of the clashes with British troops in the Battles of Lexington and Concord, which launched the American Revolutionary War, and Burr put his studies on hold to enlist in the Continental Army, whose commander-in-chief was George Washington.
During the American Revolutionary War, Burr took part in Colonel Benedict Arnold's expedition to Quebec, an arduous trek of more than 300 miles (480 km) through the northern frontier of the Province of Massachusetts Bay (now Maine). Arnold was impressed by Burr's "great spirit and resolution" during the long march. He sent him up the Saint Lawrence River to contact General Richard Montgomery, who had taken Montreal, and escort him to Quebec. Montgomery then promoted Burr to captain and made him an aide-de-camp. Burr distinguished himself during the Battle of Quebec on December 31, 1775, where he attempted to recover Montgomery's corpse after he had been killed. However, his attempts to rescue the body of his general were short-lived, as Burr gave up due to the harsh conditions of the snow and the dead weight of Montgomery's body.
In the spring of 1776, Burr's relative Matthias Ogden helped him to secure a position with George Washington's staff in Manhattan, but he quit on June 26 to be on the battlefield. After John Hancock recommended Burr, General Israel Putnam took him under his wing, and Burr saved an entire brigade from capture after the British landing in Manhattan by his vigilance in the retreat from Lower Manhattan to Harlem. Washington did not recognize his actions in the following day's General Orders, through which promotions could be obtained most quickly. Burr was already a nationally known hero, but he never received a commendation. According to Ogden, he was infuriated by the incident, which may have led to the eventual estrangement between him and Washington. Nevertheless, Burr defended Washington's decision to evacuate New York as "a necessary consequence". It was not until the 1790s that the two men found themselves on opposite sides in politics.
Burr was briefly posted in Kingsbridge during 1776, at which time he was charged with protecting 14-year-old Margaret Moncrieffe, the daughter of Staten Island-based British Major Thomas Moncrieffe. Miss Moncrieffe was in Manhattan "behind enemy lines", and Major Moncrieffe asked Washington to ensure her safe return there. Margaret fell in love with Burr, but her attempts to remain with Burr were unsuccessful.
In late 1776, Burr attempted to secure Washington's approval to retake fortifications on Staten Island, which were then held by the British, citing his deep familiarity with the area. Washington said he wanted to defer such an action until later in the conflict, and ultimately chose not to pursue it. The British learned of Burr's plans and later took extra precautions.
In July 1777, Burr was promoted to lieutenant colonel and assumed virtual leadership of Malcolm's Additional Continental Regiment. There were approximately 300 men under Colonel William Malcolm's nominal command, but Malcolm was frequently called upon to perform other duties, leaving Burr in charge. The regiment successfully fought off many nighttime raids into central New Jersey by Manhattan-based British troops who arrived by water. Later that year, Burr commanded a small contingent during the harsh winter encampment at Valley Forge, guarding "the Gulph", an isolated pass that controlled one approach to the camp. He imposed discipline and defeated an attempted mutiny by some of the troops. Some of the men, upset with Burr's way of leadership, plotted to kill Burr. Being informed of the plot to kill him, Burr made sure his men's guns were emptied. At night, one man fired his empty musket at Burr, and the latter immediately drew his sword, severing his attacker's arm. There were no more mutinies at the Gulph from that point on.