Alexander Hamilton Killed in Duel with Aaron Burr

On the morning of July 11, 1804, Alexander Hamilton and Vice President Aaron Burr met on the dueling grounds at Weehawken, New Jersey, directly across the Hudson from Manhattan. Hamilton was shot and mortally wounded; he died the following day at a friend's home in Greenwich Village and was buried at Trinity Church in lower Manhattan.

The duel ended the life of the former Secretary of the Treasury and the architect of the American financial system at age 49, and effectively ended Burr's political career. Hamilton left behind a letter indicating he intended to withhold his fire — a claim disputed by Burr's supporters. The loss devastated New York's Federalist political world. Hamilton's grave at Trinity Church became, and remains, one of the most visited sites in lower Manhattan.