Greetings, loyal minions. Your Maximum Leader would like to wish Founding Father Alexander Hamilton a happy 250th birthday. On this day in 1755 Alexander was born in the West Indies to a Scottish merchant and a Hugenot mother. He grew up and emmigrated to the British American colonies. He attended Kings College New York (now Columbia) and became a Colonel in the army under George Washington. He was an influential member of the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia (where he was the only representative from New York). He wrote, with James Madison and John Jay, the Federalist Papers. He served in the Washington Administration as Secretary of the Treasury - and counter-wieght to Thomas Jefferson’s Secretary of State. He is responsible for putting the financial affairs of our new nation in order. He is widely regarded as one of the founders of the Federalist party. Because of a dispute with Arron Burr concerning the Election of 1800, and Burr’s subsequent defeat in the 1804 election for Governor of New York, Hamilton and Burr dueled on the plains of Weehawken, New Jersey. Hamilton was shot and died from his wounds.

For the most definative resource on Hamilton your Maximum Leader recommends Ron Chernow’s Alexander Hamilton. A book which he owns, but hasn’t finished. He’s read through Washington’s death in 1799. After Washington’s death you can see that there is a pathos in Hamilton’s life that goes steadily downhill… It becomes hard to read…

So… Happy 250th Alexander. (If in fact is it really your 250th. Sources debate the actual year and day of Hamilton’s birth. Hamilton himself gave January 11, 1757. But subsequent research shows that he may have lied about his age when coming to America. Your Maximum Leader will go with Chernow and 1755…) After George Washington, you are your Maximum Leaders favourite founder.

Carry on.