The Hamilton–Reynolds affair involved Secretary of the Treasury Alexander Hamilton, who had a four-month affair with Maria Reynolds between 1791 and 1792, during George Washington's presidency. Upon discovery of the affair by Maria's husband, James Reynolds, Hamilton paid him over $1,300 (about a third of his annual income) of blackmail money to maintain secrecy. Hamilton was forced to admit to the affair after James Reynolds threatened to implicate him in Reynolds' own scheme involving unpaid back wages intended for Revolutionary War veterans.