NY, USA
Hamilton Marries Elizabeth Schuyler
December 14, 1780
Alexander Hamilton married Elizabeth Schuyler at the Schuyler Mansion in Albany on December 14, 1780. The match connected the brilliant but low-born Hamilton to one of New York's most powerful families and provided the social foundation for his later political career.
The wedding took place during a bleak period of the war, but the Schuyler family's commitment to the cause was unwavering. The union of Hamilton and the Schuyler family would shape American politics for decades, from Hamilton's service as Treasury Secretary to Elizabeth's half-century campaign to preserve his legacy.
People Involved
Wealthy Albany landowner who commanded the Northern Department in 1775-1777, organizing the logistics and supply networks that sustained the northern army. Replaced by Gates before Saratoga, he continued to serve the cause in Congress and as a critical regional leader.
Wife of Philip Schuyler who managed the family estates during her husband's military service and reportedly set fire to the family's wheat fields near Saratoga to deny grain to Burgoyne's advancing army.
Daughter of Philip Schuyler who married Alexander Hamilton in 1780 at the Schuyler Mansion in Albany. Her family connections helped launch Hamilton's political career, and she spent decades after his death preserving his legacy.
Though not Albany-born, Hamilton married into the Schuyler family and the city became central to his life. He served as Washington's aide-de-camp, led a bayonet charge at Yorktown, and later shaped the new nation's financial system.