Home > Shaping of America 1783-1815 > Alexander Hamilton Biography

Born January 11, 1755 or 1757 (Nevis, British West Indies)
Died July 12, 1804 (Weehawken, New Jersey)

Secretary of the U.S. treasury, political leader

As the nation's first secretary of the treasury under President George Washington (1732–1799; served 1789–97; see entry in volume 2), Alexander Hamilton mapped out an ambitious plan to place the United States on firm economic footing. Hamilton was a key member of President Washington's Cabinet (a president's closest advisors), and the president commonly adopted Hamilton's ideas instead of the recommendations of other officials. As a result, Hamilton would help shape the new nation more than any other individual, and his influences continued for decades later.