Politics

A Vice President Shot and Killed a Founding Father

Vice President Aaron Burr mortally wounded Alexander Hamilton in a duel while both men were still in office.

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On July 11, 1804, Vice President Aaron Burr and former Treasury Secretary Alexander Hamilton faced off in a duel in Weehawken, New Jersey. The two had been political enemies for years, with Hamilton repeatedly sabotaging Burrs career. Burr fired a shot that struck Hamilton in the abdomen. Hamilton died the next day. Burr was charged with murder but never tried. He finished his term as vice president while wanted for murder in both New York and New Jersey.