Individual Details
(6 Feb 1756 - 14 Sep 1836)
Aaron and his sister were orphaned at an early and were put under the care of Judge Tappan Reeve of Litchfield, CT [the Judge married Sarah]. Aaron was admitted to Princeton, in the Sophomore Class, in his 14th year and graduated with distinction in 1772. He studied law under Judge Reeve. At the first call for troops in 1775, he joined the patriot army at Boston and accompanied Col. Benedict Arnold in the expedition to Quebec. His record in that engagement earned him the rank of Major. In July of 1777, he was promoted to Lt. Col. with command of his regiment. He met and defeated the British at Hackensack. At Monmouth, he led a brigade. At the close of the war, he resumed the study of law and was admitted to the bar in 1780. In 1788, he was appointed Attorney General of New York and three years later elected to the U.S. Senate, defeating Philip Schuyler, father-in-law of Alexander Hamilton. He ran for President in 1800 and was one of the two highest candidates of the successful Republican party. The House of Representative elcted Thomas Jefferson, President, and Aaron Burr, Vice-President. Alexander Hamilton's opposition to Burr, led to Jefferson's election. Aaron Burr was later a candidate for Governor of New York but was defeated, in part because of Hamilton and his cohorts. Charges made by Hamilton let to a duel fought on 11 Jul 1804 and Hamilton was killed. Burr fled to Philadelphia where he met his friend Gen. James Wilkinson - they planned an invasion of Mexico and hoped to foment a secession movement in the west. Gen. Wilkinson panicked and betrayed Burr to President Jefferson. Burr was arrested and tried. He had planned treason but he never took place, and he was acquitted. After that, Burr went to Europe and tried to enlist Napoleon's aid to conquer Florida. This failed and he lived in poverty abroad for several years. He returned to America in 1812, planning to meet his only daughter Theodosia in New York, but her ship was lost at sea. He reopened his law office in New York and practiced law for 22 years. In 1833, at the age of 77, he married wealthy widow Eliza Jumel, 20 year his junior. The marriage was not happy and their divorce was final on the day of Burr's death, 14 Sep 1836.
[biographies found online]
Events
| Birth | 6 Feb 1756 | | | | |
| Marriage | 1782 | Theodosia Provost | | | |
| Marriage | 1833 | Eliza Jumel | | | |
| Divorce | 14 Sep 1836 | Eliza Jumel | | | |
| Death | 14 Sep 1836 | | | | |
Families