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our colonists which were taken for the production of the eminent statesman Jay, and at once secured consideration; at the outbreak of the Revolution he obtained a commission as captain of artillery; gained the confidence of Washington; was made his aide-decamp in 1777; and acquired the greatest influence with him as his friend and adviser. At the end of the war he left the service with the rank of Colonel, studied law, and became one of the most eminent lawyers in New York; went to Congress; was a delegate at Philadelphia to revise the Articles of Confederation. With Madison had an important share in drawing up the Constitution. Was a strong supporter of the Federal as opposed to the Democratic party. Upon the establishment of the new government in 1789, was appointed by Washington Secretary of the Treasury; in 1795 he resigned to resume the practice of law in New York; in 1798, at the desire of Washington, was made Major-General of the army, and at Washington's death succeeded to the chief command. Was wounded by Aaron Burr in a duel at Weehawken, New Jersey, and died the following day, July 12, 1804.
Like most men of great talents and strong will, Hamilton had a large measure of self-confidence. The greater the odds the more defiantly and the more confidently he faced opposition. Ambrose Spencer, the distinguished judge, said: "Alexander Hamilton was the greatest man this country ever produced. I knew him well. I was in situations often to observe and study him. I saw him at the bar and at home. He argued cases before me while I sat as judge on the bench—Webster has done the same. In power of reasoning Hamilton was the equal of Webster, and more than this can be said of no man. In creative power Hamilton was infinitely Webster's superior. It was he more than any other that thought out the Constitution of the United States and the details of the government of the Union; and, out of the chaos that existed after the Revolution, raised a fabric every part of which is instinct with his thought. I can truly say that hundreds of politicians and statesmen of the day get both the web and woof of their thought from Hamilton's brains. He more than any man did the thinking of the times."
"I have very little doubt," says Chancellor Kent, "that if General Hamilton had lived twenty years longer he would have rivalled Socrates or Bacon or any of the sages of ancient or modern times in researches after truth. Benevolent to mankind; the active and
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