|
|
Sections
|
|
|
 |
|
|
|
Resources
|
|
|
|
|
Alexander Hamilton's "Statement of My Property and Debts,"
July 1, 1804
On July 11, 1804, Alexander Hamilton was mortally wounded during a duel with
Aaron Burr and died the following day. Five years after Hamilton's untimely
death, his widow, Elizabeth Hamilton, submitted a petition to Congress asking
for a pension based on her husband's military service as Lieutenant Colonel
in the Revolutionary war.
In 1782, Hamilton had been a member of the Continental Congress that passed
legislation establishing army pensions. For ethical reasons, he had relinquished
his claim to compensation.
In her petition, presented to the House of Representatives on May 30, 1809,
Elizabeth Hamilton asked Congress to restore her husband's right to a pension.
Along with her petition, she submitted Hamilton's October 28, 1783 Commission
as Lieutenant Colonel for the Revolutionary Army and a personal statement of
his property and debts. Believed to be written on July 1, 1804, just days before
he died, Hamilton's statement is an explanation of his financial circumstances
"if an accident should happen to me." In it, he ties his public service
to the present state of his finances, which included debts that would prove
a burden to his family.
Mrs. Hamilton's initial attempt to secure a pension failed, but in 1816, Congress
passed a bill granting five years pay, which was a full pension, to Mrs. Hamilton.
Archives of Featured
Documents
|
