Alexander Hamilton and Aaron Burr (1804) On July 11, 1804, years
of escalating personal and political tensions culminated in the
most famous duel in American history: the standoff between
Alexander Hamilton, a leading Federalist and former secretary of
the treasury, and Aaron Burr, who was then serving as vice
president under Thomas Jefferson. Hamilton had come to detest
Burr, whom he regarded as an opportunist, and vehemently
campaigned against him during his failed 1804 bid to become
governor of New York. Burr resolved to restore his reputation by
challenging Hamilton to an “affair of honor,” as duels were then
known. The enemies met at the dueling grounds near Weehawken,
New Jersey—the same spot where Hamilton’s son had died defending
his father’s honor in November 1801. (The loss inspired Hamilton
to denounce dueling and lend his voice to the growing movement
against the practice.) According to some accounts, Hamilton
never planned to aim at Burr, hoping instead to fire a symbolic
shot into the air and re