I.

Introduction

Alexander Hamilton (1757?-1804), American statesman, best known for his fiscal policies settling the finances of the American Revolution, for his role as the principal author of The Federalist papers, and for his advocacy of a strong central government.

Hamilton was born on the West Indian island of Nevis on January 11, 1757, the illegitimate son of James Hamilton, a Scottish trader, and Rachel Faucett Lavien. In 1769, after the death of his mother and the bankruptcy of his father, he entered the countinghouse of David Beckman and Nicholas Cruger at Saint Croix, where he exhibited a precocious ability to comprehend the complexities of commerce and accounting. With the aid of funds advanced by friends to further his education, he studied (1772-1774) at a grammar school at Elizabethtown, New Jersey, and then entered King's College (now Columbia University).