Description:

Burr Aaron

Burr’s Duel with Alexander Hamilton 2nd Vindicates Burr against Earlier Charges

 

[AARON BURR.] Aristides [William P. Van Ness], An Examination of the Various Charges Exhibited Against Aaron Burr, Esq. Vice-President of the United States; and a Development of the Character and Views of His Political Opponents. [New York, 1803]. 77 pp., 5.25" x 8.25". Missing title page, some staining, considerable aging, tears to pp. 3, 4, 75, 76, and 77, partially repaired.

 

Vice President Aaron Burr’s friend, New York attorney William P. Van Ness, published this pamphlet in consultation with Burr and in response to the 1802 pamphlet A View of the Political Conduct of Aaron Burr, Esq. Vice-President of the United States by James Cheetham (1772-1810), the editor of the American Citizen newspaper in New York City. Cheetham’s primary charge was that Burr had conspired with Federalists in Congress to engineer an electoral coup to make him president. It also charged that Burr had authorized his “devoted instrument” William P. Van Ness to develop the plan.

 

In defending Burr, Van Ness made his own charges against various Democratic-Republicans and supporters of Thomas Jefferson. Among many other accusations, Van Ness’s pamphlet also alleged that New York Governor George Clinton (1739-1812) had declared at a meeting at Burr’s house in the spring of 1800 that he “had long entertained an unfavorable opinion of Mr. Jefferson’s talents as a statesman and his firmness as a republican.” When this pamphlet emerged, Clinton immediately wrote to Jefferson that the story was a “base and dishonorable Misrepresentation.” Clinton closed his brief letter, “I have indeed to regret that my Zeal for the public Interest led me on that Occasion into bad Company without suspecting that I was under the Roof of a corrupt Intriguer surrounded by his worthless Minions.” Apparently, Jefferson was satisfied with Clinton’s disavowal, as Clinton served as vice president during Jefferson’s second term (1805-1809) and most of James Madison’s first term (1809-1812).



A year after this pamphlet was published, Alexander Hamilton’s opposition to Burr’s candidacy to become New York governor and Burr’s prickly sense of honor led to the famous duel on July 11, 1804, when Burr mortally wounded Hamilton in the most famous duel in American history. They met on a dueling ground at Weehawken, New Jersey, where Van Ness served as Burr’s second. Hamilton died the next day.

 

William P. Van Ness (1778-1826) was born in New York and graduated from Columbia College in 1797. He read law with Edward Livingston and began a practice in New York City in 1800. He was a delegate to the New York Constitutional Convention in 1801 and continued in private practice in Albany, Hudson, and New York City until 1812. He was a close friend of Aaron Burr, and after Jefferson and Burr tied for electoral votes in the election of 1800, Van Ness supported the Federalist plan to make Burr president. In July 1804, Van Ness served as Burr’s second in his duel with Alexander Hamilton. President James Madison appointed Van Ness as judge of the U.S. District Court for the District of New York in 1812, which changed to the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York in 1814, and he held the position until his death.

 

This item comes with a Certificate from John Reznikoff, a premier authenticator for both major 3rd party authentication services, PSA and JSA (James Spence Authentications), as well as numerous auction houses.

 

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