Alexander Hamilton was born on January 11th 1755 (or 1757 – it’s unclear what year) in Charlestown, Nevis (a small island in the Caribbean Sea and part of the West Indies).
He was sent to New York in his teens to pursue his education at King’s College (now Columbia). He took an early role in the militia as the American Revolutionary War began. In 1777, he became a senior aide to General Washington running the new Continental Army. He then practiced law, founded the Bank of New York and then entered politics.
He helped ratify the Constitution by writing the majority of The Federalist Papers and was active ending the legality of the international slave trade. He campaigned against Vice President Burr for governor of New York State in 1804 and, after taking offense, Burr challenged him to a duel. Burr shot and mortally wounded him and Hamilton died on July 12th 1804 of a gunshot wound aged 47 or 49 in Greenwich Village, New York.