Random Surprisingly Depressing Facts About Miserable Life of Aaron Burr (11 items)

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  (#6) He Became An Orphan At Two

  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.
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  (#9) He Might Have Only Accidentally Killed Alexander Hamilton

  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.
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  (#3) He Tried To Form His Own Nation, But Didn't Have The Support

  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.
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  (#7) He Used His Mother's Maiden Name To Dodge Creditors

  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.
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  (#1) He Got Divorced And Died On The Same Day

  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.
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  (#2) His Only Daughter Was Lost At Sea

  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 and surviving passengers walk the plank. Arrrgh that’s depressing.

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