Ron Chernow - Alexander Hamilton

This is simply one of the most outstanding biographies of an eminent American I've ever read. It is exhaustively researched, provides a wealth of details about Hamilton's life without being trivial, and is extremely well written. It also does an outstanding job of bringing Alexander Hamilton's personality to life and gives the reader a better understanding and empathy for this important founding father.

Hamilton without a doubt was a brilliant self-made man, rising from a poor, illegitimate, orphaned child in the West Indies to George Washington's confidant and surrogate decision maker during the Revolutionary War. His energy, intelligence, superlative administrative skills, and unquestioned bravery during the war - along with his political skills which were vitally employed during the debates on the ratification of the Constitution - catapulted him to the office of Secretary of the Treasury during Washington's administration.

This biography goes a long way toward rehabilitating Alexander Hamilton's reputation as one of the most important founding fathers. It would take rewriting the biography to detail all his contributions. But following are the most important ones.

First, Hamilton's position as what amounted to Washington's chief of staff during the Revolutionary War was vital. He was able to use his administrative skills and intelligent decision making to relieve Washington of some of the burden of running the army. While others were also important in this endeavor, it is clear that Hamilton was the first among equals in this position and had the trust and confidence of General Washington.

Second, while Hamilton's impact on the actual content of the Constitution of the United States was muted by his fellow New York delegates to the convention who opposed it, he made two vital contributions to its adoption and interpretation, that are intertwined. Supporters of the Constitution clearly understood that New York and Virginia would have to ratify the constitution if it were to be successful. They were the two largest states and without either one of them a new government would not be able to function or likely exist very long. Thus, Hamilton embarked on a full blitz to both defend and explain the constitution, and lobby vigorously for its adoption by New York.

As part of this effort, Hamilton recruited James Madison and John Jay who together wrote The Federalist Papers. While they were intended as political campaign materials to build support for the constitution in New York, they also served to explain the Constitution and how it was intended to work. Hamilton and Madison penned most of the essays and they still stand as one of the most important documents for interpreting and understanding the U.S. Constitution. It has been cited hundreds of times in Supreme Court cases throughout our history.

Additionally, Hamilton tirelessly lobbied for the adoption of the Constitution in New York, where strong opposition to it existed. Were it not for Hamilton and Madison's efforts in New York and Virginia, respectively, it is not unlikely these states may have refused to ratify it and, in effect, stop the creation of a federal government in its tracks.

Third, Hamilton's determination to create a federal government that had the requisite powers to survive in perpetuity, which included creating its administrative infrastructure, were vital. He set in place the mechanisms necessary for the government to foster economic growth and gave it a sound financial system, which were vital foundations for the evolution of the American system of government as we know it today. As Chernow points, Hamilton created the foundation for a functional federal government, despite vigorous opposition from James Madison and Thomas Jefferson. Hamilton was our first state builder and this may be his greatest contribution.

While this is a sympathetic treatment of Hamilton, Chernow also points out Hamilton's many faults, which in some ways undermined his long-term ability to have an impact on national public policy. His arrogance, diffidence, extremely aggressive attacks against his opponents, reluctance to compromise, and his inability to cultivate working relationships with difficult personalities like John Adams, are laid out in detail. One can only imagine what Hamilton and Adams could have done to further solidify the federal government had they worked together instead of at odds with one another.

Certainly Hamilton was a very complex character and Chernow deftly paints a clear picture of Hamilton. Hamilton certainly behaved oddly at times - from his six hour speech at the Constitutional Convention that seemed to call for a constitutional monarchy, his strange affair with Maria Reynolds, his overly aggressive verbal attacks on opponents (especially once the moderating influence of George Washington disappeared on his retirement), and his duel with Aaron Burr that lead to his death. But at the same time it is also clear he did have a softer side to his personality. His supposed elitist attitudes are belied by the fact he was charitable toward the less fortunate, took in orphans, and clearly cared deeply about the preservation and perpetuation of the federal government.

When Hamilton died at the hands of Aaron Burr at only 49 years old he had already passed the apogee of his political career. But nevertheless, it would certainly have been interesting to have seen what he could have accomplished had he lived a longer life.