Burr Killed Hamilton, and His Own Legacy, Too

The rivalry between Founding Fathers Aaron Burr and Alexander Hamilton stretched much further than the legendary duel where sitting Vice President Aaron Burr shot and fatally wounded former Treasury Secretary Alexander Hamilton.

Both were orphans. Both fought in the American Revolution. And both found political success at an early age. But the two men couldn't be more different. The confident, cocky and energetic Hamilton rushed through life, while, as immortalized in the award-winning musical “Hamilton,” the more cautious Burr was “willing to wait for it.”