Alexander Hamilton

This 1806 portrait of Alexander Hamilton by John Trumbull hangs in the National Portrait Gallery.

"Illegitimate and orphaned at an early age, Alexander Hamilton possessed the drive and intelligence that attracted wealthy patrons who sent him to study at King's College (now Columbia University). An early advocate for independence from Britain, he enlisted in the army and came to the attention of George Washington, who made him a member of his mili­tary 'family.'

After independence, Hamilton supported a strong national government, assisting in the ratification of the Constitution by authoring, with John Jay and James Madison, the most original contribution to American political thought, the Federalist Papers. Washington, impressed with Hamilton's mastery of economics, made him the first secretary of treasury. Hamilton's policies assumption of state debts, encouragement of commerce and manufacturing, and promotion of a national bank are credited with laying the groundwork for a strong republic. He was killed in a duel with the vice president, Aaron Burr." -- National Portrait Gallery

This portrait, or another version of it, is the basis for the image of Hamilton on the US $10 bill.

See other portraits of Hamilton in the Portrait Gallery Blog.