Male

February 6, 1756

September 14, 1836

Newark, NJ

New York, NY
Philadelphia, PA
SC

Theodosia Prevost Burr (1782)
Eliza Jumel Burr (1833)

Aaron Burr, one of the most famous students of Judge Tapping Reeve, was born in Newark, New Jersey, on February 6, 1756. Reeve married Aaron's sister, Sally Burr. After graduation, Burr traveled to Bethlehem, CT, and studied theology with Joseph Bellamy. After concluding he was not suited for a career in religion, he came to Litchfield as Reeve's pupil and his first law student. In 1775, Burr left his law studies in Litchfield and joined the Continental Army, and served until 1779 during the Revolutionary War.

After the close of the war, Burr returned to his legal aspirations, passing the New York Bar in 1782. He quickly became a leading political figure in New York, serving a year in the State Assembly from 1784 to 1785. Rising fast, he became the Attorney General of New York from ...1789 until 1790, and was then elected to the United States Senate, serving from 1791 to 1797. Next, Burr opted to run against Thomas Jefferson for the Republican candidacy in the 1800 presidential election; during this race Burr tied Jefferson in votes. The decision came down to the House of Representatives who voted him the Vice President under Jefferson.

Aaron Burr's life and reputation took a sharp turn towards infamy when, during his term as Vice President, he shot and killed Alexander Hamilton in a duel. Although dueling was a common method of settling disputes at the time, it was illegal and participation was frowned upon by those serving in America's highest offices. On July 11, 1804, Hamilton was shot at Weehawken, NJ. The public outcry for justice was immense and Burr was formally charged for murder in both New Jersey and the state of New York. Yet, (presumably) due to serving in such a high office, he never faced trial in those states. Still, many threats were leveled toward Burr and he was forced to retreat to South Carolina in the middle of his term, only to return to Washington weeks later in order to finish his Vice Presidency.

In 1807, Burr attempted to raise an 80-man militia on Blennerhasset on the Ohio River, in present day West Virginia. He was indicted by President Jefferson for treason; being accused of heading a complex conspiracy plot against the United States which claimed Burr was attempting to raise an army in order to take over a piece of Mexican territory now in an area of Texas. Once acquired, Burr would then rule over the land as a dictator of his own nation state. This land actually included part of the U.S. owned Louisiana Purchase, which made seizing it (or plotting to do so) an act of treason. Although Jefferson wanted a treason conviction, Burr was acquitted by Justice John Marshall due to a lack of evidence by the prosecution. Burr's acquittal was a landmark ruling that upheld our Constitutional law, protecting the rights of citizens accused of treason. Burr's public and professional image was so badly tarnished by his treason trial that he opted to move to Europe in 1808. He waited four years before returning to New York in 1812. Burr practiced law for the remainder of his life and fell into relative obscurity until his death in Staten Island, New York on September 14, 1836.
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1774

Graduated from the College of New Jersey (now Princeton University) in 1772.

Lawyer; Political Office

Albany, NY in 1782

Republican

U.S. Senator (NY) 1791-1797
Vice-President 1801-1805

State Representative (NY) 1784-1785
Attorney General (NY) 1789
Commissioner of Revolutionary War Claims 1791
State Representative (NY) 1798-1801

[We are currently working to update and confirm citations of attendance.]

Wynkoop Family Holdings, Senate House State Historic Site, Kingston, NY.