Thanks to the Broadway phenomenon Hamilton, a lot more people know the ins-and-outs of the Aaron Burr biography. But is that portrayal of Burr's life even accurate? Who was Aaron Burr, really? Burr is primarily known for his deadly duel with Alexander Hamilton. Yeah, that was a pretty depressing moment in American history: the sitting vice president straight-up murdering a man. But that's just scratching the surface of Burr's bummer of a story. There's a lot to this man beyond the Aaron Burr duel, as the history buffs among you surely know. Be forewarned: you might need a drink after reading some of the most depressing and, in some cases, totally bizarre facts about Burr.
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Talk about the final nail in the coffin: the same day Burr died on Staten Island in his cousin’s care, his divorce to Eliza Jumel was also finalized. Ouch. To make things worse, Burr was immobilized from a series of strokes in his final two years, so he was bedridden when he learned Jumel hired the son of his former rival and victim, Alexander Hamilton, to be her divorce attorney. Double ouch.
Burr’s beloved daughter Theodosia Burr Alston, the only of his children to survive childhood, disappeared at sea at age 29, when the schooner Patriot mysteriously vanished without a trace. A whole trunk full of family manuscripts was on the ship, as well, meaning Burr lost a part of his family’s past and future all at once. No one knows what happened to the Patriot, but one of the many upsetting theories is pirates wrecked it and made the surviving passengers walk the plank.
Everyone knows about the deadly Hamilton-Burr duel. The lesser-known Act 2 of Burr’s sad saga was an attempt to form his own nation out West, and maybe even take over Mexico. Despite his best efforts, Burr just couldn’t cobble together enough support. His “army” was stocked with fewer than 100 men, and an attempt to get Britain to back his plan fell flat. Burr was eventually tried for treason, but narrowly managed a not guilty on what was essentially a Constitutional technicality. Regardless, Burr’s already less-than-stellar reputation was ruined.
It’s depressing enough to be the guy who purposefully invented one of the most annoying and controversial “tactics” in American politics, the time-wasting filibuster, but to inadvertently bring it to life because of an offhand remark? That’s devastating. Burr did just that when, as Vice President, he suggested to the senate in 1805 they needed to clean up how they went about their business, singling out the so-called previous question motion as an example of an unnecessary rule. The motion enabled the majority to simply cut off a debate, if need be. The senate dropped the motion at Burr’s request, paving the way for the first-ever filibuster in 1837. Thanks a lot, Burr!
The Burr-founded Manhattan Company, now known as JPMorgan Chase, in an ongoing effort to profit off distributing drinking water throughout New York City, dug a well into contaminated groundwater and accidentally spread cholera to one-third of the city in 1832. Doh! It wasn't just an innocent mistake, either. In 1810, a former director admitted the Manhattan Company knew the water they were putting out was quite literally crappy, full of NYC residents’s "own evacuations, as well as that of their Horses, Cows, Dogs, Cats, and other putrid liquids so plentifully dispensed." Thirsty yet?
Burr’s life was pretty tragic from the start. His father died when he was just one year old, his mother the next year, making him an orphan at age two. Burr and his older sister then went on to live with their maternal grandparents, but grandpa and grandma were both dead within a year, too. The Curse of the Burr Kids ceased in 1759, when they went to live with their uncle.
Upon returning to the US in 1812 after the whole Burr Conspiracy debacle, Burr pulled a real scumbag move and started using his mother’s maiden name, Edwards, to dodge his many creditors. He also used an alias to get on the ship that got him back home from the UK: Mr. Adolphus Arnot. Fortunately for Burr, the War of 1812 was raging, so he was soon able to stop living a lie and instead just fade into relative obscurity.
At perhaps the lowest point in his post-duel life, Burr had to sell off all of his stuff just to survive while exiled in London. His journal from the time is tragic: “Have left in cash 2 halfpence, which is much better than one penny, because they jingle, and thus one may refresh one’s self with the music.” Jesus Christ, Burr — that’s rough. Addressing his daughter: "Tried, on my way home, at several places, to pawn your picture-watch, which ought to be worth 50 guineas; but they would not give more than 3 pounds, which refused. As I approached my home, ruminated how to get dinner … for I had neither bread, butter, cheese, nor sugar." At one point, he calculated how long he could live with no money left at all: "Without a penny, I can keep the animal machine a-going for eight days." Yikes.
The one thing everyone knows about Aaron Burr is he shot and killed Alexander Hamilton in a duel. It’s a sad event for a number of reasons, but some historians think there’s an additional level of tragedy: Burr might not have even meant to do it. Joseph J. Ellis. for example, argues Burr didn’t have much to gain from actually killing Hamilton, and likely just meant to wound him. He did, after all, hit him near his hip, where most duelists aim if they’re trying to superficially wound their opponent. He didn’t anticipate, Ellis suggests, that his shot would ricochet off Hamilton’s rib, hitting his vital organs. His reported shock and surprise after hitting his mark strengthens the case. No one will ever know Burr’s true intentions on that day, but if Ellis is correct, Burr’s most infamous act may have just been a big, tragic mistake. Whoops.
Burr was a nationally known hero during the Revolutionary War, but his general, George Washington, totally failed to recognize one of his most heroic achievements. Burr’s leadership once saved his entire brigade — including future dueling partner Alexander Hamilton — from getting captured by the British in 1776, but Washington didn’t commend his actions or reward him in any way for some reason lost to history. Burr, in fact, never received a single commendation from Washington in his military career, and retired as a lieutenant colonel due to health issues.
When a 77-year-old Burr married second wife Eliza Jumel in 1833, his intentions, most likely, weren’t exactly pure. Jumel was one of the richest women in America, and her last husband had died eight months prior, after — swear this isn't made up — falling on a pitchfork. Jumel was filthy rich, 19 years younger than Burr, and obviously vulnerable, mourning her now-perforated beau. Burr, still battling debt, likely swept in and married Jumel for financial gain as much as anything. The marriage only lasted three years, and Burr did, indeed, try to liquidate Jumel’s fortune during that short stretch. But he never got to really enjoy her fortune: a debilitating stroke intervened before he could do too much damage, and he died two years later.
