James Alexander Hamilton
| James Alexander Hamilton | |
|---|---|
| Acting United States Secretary of State | |
|
In office March 4, 1829 – March 27, 1829 |
|
| President | Andrew Jackson |
| Preceded by | Henry Clay |
| Succeeded by | Martin Van Buren |
| Personal details | |
| Born | April 14, 1788 |
| Died | September 24, 1878 (aged 90) |
| Spouse(s) | Mary Morris |
| Parents | |
| Relatives |
|
| Education | Columbia University |
| Profession | Lawyer |
James Alexander Hamilton (April 14, 1788 – September 24, 1878) was an American soldier, acting Secretary of State, and the third son of Alexander Hamilton, one of the Founding Fathers of the United States.
Hamilton was born in New York City, New York, on April 14, 1788, the fourth child of American founding father Alexander Hamilton and Elizabeth Schuyler Hamilton.
Hamilton later wrote of his childhood:
[Alexander] Hamilton's gentle nature rendered his house a joyous one to his children... His intercourse with his children was always affectionate and confiding, which excited in them a corresponding confidence and devotion. I distinctly recollect the scene at breakfast in the front room of the house in Broadway. My dear mother, seated as was her wont at the head of the table with a napkin in her lap, cutting slices of bread and spreading them with butter for the younger boys... When the lessons were finished the father and the elder children were called to breakfast, after which the boys were packed off to school.
When he was sixteen, his father was killed in a duel with Vice President Aaron Burr. Along with his mother and siblings, Hamilton was present in the room, sitting at his father's bedside, when he died a few hours after the duel. Hamilton graduated from Columbia University in 1805 at the age of seventeen. He later studied law, and in 1809, he was admitted to the bar, and practiced law for a year in Waterford, New York.
In 1810, Hamilton moved to Hudson, New York, and practiced law there for several years. During the War of 1812, Hamilton served as a Brigade Major and Inspector in the New York Militia.
In March 1829, Hamilton served as acting Secretary of State to President Andrew Jackson, surrendering the office on the regular appointment of Martin Van Buren. That same year he was appointed U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York.
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