Book Launch Guest Post by Samantha Wilcoxson, Author of James Alexander Hamilton: Son of the American Revolution

Available from Amazon UK and Amazon US

Born in the year of the Constitutional Convention, James Alexander Hamilton was uniquely positioned to observe the early republic era and the formation of the experimental United States government. His father, Alexander Hamilton, had been the first US Treasury Secretary, an outspoken and controversial character who was killed in a duel when James was a teenager. With a lifelong devotion to his father's memory, James advised men from Andrew Jackson and Martin Van Buren to Abraham Lincoln and Salmon P Chase

 on banking and constitutional matters.

I decided to write about James Alexander Hamilton during my research for a previous book. Women of the American Revolution included a chapter on James’s mother, Elizabeth Schuyler Hamilton, and I found his Reminiscences to be a fantastic resource. It also included so much more than some personal insight into Hamilton family life. I discovered that James had been an observant and active witness to seventy-five years of turbulent US history.

James was born in 1788, the year of the Constitutional Convention, and lived through the American Civil War to publish his Reminiscences in 1869. Throughout these years, James was connected with many of the people whose names we remember today, such as John Quincy Adams, Andrew Jackson, and Abraham Lincoln. He followed in his father’s footsteps, studying to become a lawyer who was deeply concerned with constitutional and banking issues.

In 1829, James served as temporary secretary of state for Andrew Jackson, which has caused some historians to label him an anti-banking Jacksonian. In fact, James left behind stacks of correspondence encouraging Jackson to reform the national bank where necessary but practically begging him not to dismantle it. James warned the president of the financial panic that would – and did – occur when Jackson defunded the national bank.

Besides advising presidents and cabinet members, James was involved in the New York Crystal Palace, fighting New York’s Great Fire of 1835, and was a part of the crew that won the first America’s Cup. I felt like I was constantly discovering unique experiences and participation in historic events when researching James’s life!

James was in his seventies when the Civil War broke out, an occurrence that he blamed on the incompetence and inaction of President James Buchanan. Despite his age, James offered to put on a uniform and die honorably on the field of battle. Instead, his country asked him to serve on a board that advised President Abraham Lincoln, which James was happy to do. He even wrote a draft of the Emancipation Proclamation.

I felt like I became friends with James through the writing of this biography and wish his Reminiscences included more from the post-war years. The country could have still benefitted from his wise counsel, but age caught up with the man who had strived to continue the work of his legendary father. James died in 1878, and is buried in Sleepy Hollow, a cemetery made famous by James’s friend and neighbor, Washington Irving.

Samantha Wilcoxson 

# # #

About the Author

Samantha Wilcoxson is an author of emotive biographical fiction and nonfiction featuring history’s unsung heroes. Her first fiction series tells stories of early Tudor women, beginning with Elizabeth of York, but she has explored other eras as well. Samantha's Luminous features real life radium girl Catherine Donohue and has won several awards for its compelling, poignant storytelling. She has also written both fiction and nonfiction set during the American Revolution. Today, Samantha is excited to share her new biography of James Alexander Hamilton published by Pen & Sword History.  Samantha and her husband of almost thirty years split their time between Michigan and Florida, and they love exploring historic places together. They have three adult children, who love to gather for family time at the lake. Samantha is currently writing a Wars of the Roses trilogy for Sapere Books and looks forward to returning to the era that first inspired her to write. Find out more from Samantha's website https://samanthawilcoxson.com anf find her on Instagram and Facebook