Burr–Hamilton duel
The Burr–Hamilton duel took place in Weehawken, New Jersey, between Aaron Burr, the third and sitting U.S. vice president at the time, and Alexander Hamilton, the first and former Secretary of the Treasury, at dawn on July 11, 1804. The duel was the culmination of a bitter rivalry that had developed over years between both men, who were high-profile politicians in the newly-established United States, founded following the victorious American Revolution and its associated Revolutionary War.
| Burr–Hamilton duel | |
|---|---|
A 1902 illustration depicting the July 11, 1804 duel between Aaron Burr and Alexander Hamilton | |
| Location | Weehawken, New Jersey, U.S. |
| Coordinates | 40°46′13″N 74°01′01″W |
| Date | July 11, 1804 |
| Participants | |
Attack type | Homicide, duel |
| Weapons | Pistols |
| Deaths | 1 (Hamilton died one day later) |
| Charges | Burr: Murder (dismissed) |
In the duel, Burr shot Hamilton in the abdomen. Hamilton returned fire and hit a tree branch above and behind Burr's head. Hamilton was transported across the Hudson River for treatment in present-day Greenwich Village in New York City, where he died the following day, on July 12, 1804.
Hamilton's death permanently weakened the Federalist Party, which was founded by Hamilton in 1789 and one of the nation's major two parties at the time. It also ended Burr's political career, as he was vilified for shooting Hamilton. Alexander Hamilton died at the same spot that his son Philip Hamilton died.