Alexander Hamilton II (January 26, 1816 – December 30, 1889), was the son of James Alexander Hamilton, and the grandson of

Alexander Hamilton Alexander Hamilton (January 11, 1755 or 1757July 12, 1804) was an American military officer, statesman, and Founding Fathers of the United States, Founding Father who served as the first U.S. secretary of the treasury from 1789 to 1795 dur ...

, one of the

Founding Fathers of the United States The Founding Fathers of the United States, often simply referred to as the Founding Fathers or the Founders, were a group of late-18th-century American Revolution, American revolutionary leaders who United Colonies, united the Thirteen Colon ...

Early life

Hamilton was born on January 26, 1816, in New York City. He was the third of five children, and the only son, born to James Alexander Hamilton (1788–1878) and Mary Morris, the daughter of Robert Morris and Frances Ludlum and the sister of

Lewis Gouverneur Morris Lewis Gouverneur Morris II (June 4, 1882 – August 14, 1967) was a banker and prominent social figure in New York and Newport Society. Early life Morris was born on June 4, 1882, in Newport, Rhode Island. He was the son of Francis Morris (1845� ...

(1808–1900). His paternal grandparents were Alexander Hamilton (1755–1804), the first

Secretary of the Treasury The United States secretary of the treasury is the head of the United States Department of the Treasury, and is the chief financial officer of the federal government of the United States. The secretary of the treasury serves as the principal a ...

, and Eliza Schuyler (1757–1854). His grandmother was the second daughter of

Philip Schuyler Philip John Schuyler (; November 20, 1733 - November 18, 1804) was an American general in the American Revolutionary War, Revolutionary War and a United States Senate, United States Senator from New York (state), New York. He is usually known as ...

, a Revolutionary War general, and

Catherine Van Rensselaer Catherine Van Rensselaer Schuyler (; also known as "Kitty", November 10, 1734 – March 7, 1803) was a Colonial and post-Colonial American socialite and the matriarch of the prominent colonial Schuyler family as wife of Philip Schuyler. Early li ...

, of the Van Rensselaers of the

Manor of Rensselaerswyck Rensselaerswyck was a Dutch colonial patroonship and later an England, English Proprietary colony, manor owned by the Van Rensselaer (family), van Rensselaer family located in the present-day Capital District, New York, Capital District of New Yor ...

, one of the richest and most politically influential families in the state of

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York New York may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * ...

. Hamilton attended the

United States Military Academy The United States Military Academy (USMA), commonly known as West Point, is a United States service academies, United States service academy in West Point, New York that educates cadets for service as Officer_(armed_forces)#United_States, comm ...

West Point The United States Military Academy (USMA), commonly known as West Point, is a United States service academies, United States service academy in West Point, New York that educates cadets for service as Officer_(armed_forces)#United_States, comm ...

from July 1832 to June 1835.

Career

He became a lawyer in New York City, and was a founding partner in the law firm of Hamilton and Lyon. From June 1842 to April 1844, he was the Secretary of the United States Legation at Madrid, serving under

Washington Irving Washington Irving (April 3, 1783 – November 28, 1859) was an American short-story writer, essayist, biographer, historian, and diplomat of the early 19th century. He wrote the short stories "Rip Van Winkle" (1819) and "The Legend of Sleepy ...

. He retired from the practice of law in 1870.

U.S. Civil War

In April 1861, during the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861May 26, 1865; also known by Names of the American Civil War, other names) was a civil war in the United States between the Union (American Civil War), Union ("the North") and the Confederate States of A ...

, Hamilton was appointed a volunteer '' aide-de-camp'' to General

John E. Wool John Ellis Wool (February 20, 1784 – November 10, 1869) was a US officer in the United States Army during three consecutive American-involved wars: the War of 1812 (1812–1815), the Mexican–American War (1846–1848), and with allegiance to ...

, who commanded the

U.S. Army The United States Army (USA) is the primary land service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is designated as the Army of the United States in the United States Constitution.Article II, section 2, clause 1 of the United Stat ...

Department of the East The Department of the East was a military administrative district established by the U.S. Army several times in its history. The first was from 1853 to 1861, the second Department of the East, from 1863 to 1873, and the last from 1877 to 1913. ...

in New York. On August 28, 1861, he was given an official position as Wool's additional ''aide-de-camp'', and served in that capacity until he resigned on December 11, 1861. In July 1863, during the New York City draft riots, he again assisted Wool, who reported to Governor Seymour that his "former aid Colonel Alexander Hamilton Jr. ... volunteered especially for this occasion, and asconstantly in attendance day and night." Hamilton wrote to President Lincoln in a letter dated May 26, 1862, calling Secretary of War

Edwin Stanton Edwin McMasters Stanton (December 19, 1814December 24, 1869) was an American lawyer and politician who served as U.S. Secretary of War, U.S. secretary of war under the Lincoln Administration during most of the American Civil War. Stanton's manag ...

's division of General

George McClellan George Brinton McClellan (December 3, 1826 – October 29, 1885) was an American military officer and politician who served as the 24th governor of New Jersey and as Commanding General of the United States Army from November 1861 to March 186 ...

Army of the Potomac The Army of the Potomac was the primary field army of the Union army in the Eastern Theater of the American Civil War. It was created in July 1861 shortly after the First Battle of Bull Run and was disbanded in June 1865 following the Battle of ...

into four separate departments "the grossest mismanagement."

Personal life

In 1845, after his return from Spain, he married Angelica Livingston (1820–1896), the daughter of

Maturin Livingston Maturin Livingston (April 10, 1769 – November 7, 1847), a member of the prominent Livingston family, was an American lawyer and politician from New York. Life Maturin Livingston was born on April 10, 1769, in New York City. He was the son ...

(1769–1847). Angelica's mother was Margaret (

née The birth name is the name of the person given upon their birth. The term may be applied to the surname, the given name or to the entire name. Where births are required to be officially registered, the entire name entered onto a births registe ...

Lewis) Livingston (1780–1860), the only daughter and sole heiress of Gov. Morgan Lewis (1754–1844). They had one son, Alexander, born in 1848, who died at the age of 11 months. Hamilton was a founding member, and the first president, of New York's

Knickerbocker Club The Knickerbocker Club (known informally as The Knick) is a gentlemen's club in New York City that was founded in 1871. It is considered to be the most exclusive club in the United States and one of the most Aristocracy (class), aristocratic gent ...

when it was organized in 1871. He was also a founder of

the Union League Club The Union League Club is a private social club in New York City that was founded in 1863 in affiliation with the Union League. Its fourth and current clubhouse is located at 38 East 37th Street on the corner of Park Avenue, in the Murray Hi ...

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Hamilton, Alexander Jr. 1816 births 1889 deaths Lawyers from New York City People of New York (state) in the American Civil War United States Military Academy alumni Alexander Jr. Schuyler family Morris family (Morrisania and New Jersey) American people of Dutch descent American people of Scottish descent Presidents of the New York Public Library