Even so, historian Valerie Paley says Hamilton became one of the most important people on George Washington’s staff.

“Hamilton had never had a father of course that he knew or knew well, so there was something very loyal and very, very trusting about the relationship between the men. So I think it was something that was extremely important and influential to Hamilton’s growth as a politician and as a thinker.”

She says their relationship was almost like a father and son. But that did not mean their relationship was always good. Alexander Hamilton was a proud man. He was quick to criticize others. He even criticized George Washington. Once, during the war, Hamilton was late to a meeting with the general. Washington protested. Hamilton resigned.

For the next eight years, Hamilton was very busy. He led troops in some of the last battles of the American Revolution. He became a lawyer. He founded the Bank of New York, one of the very first banks in the country. He helped save his old school, King’s College, and turn it into what is now Columbia University. He was a delegate to the Constitutional Convention. He wrote some of the Federalist Papers, among the most famous documents in American history. Hamilton’s defense of a strong central government persuaded many Americans to ratify the Constitution and establish a new system of government.

Historian Valerie Paley says Hamilton had a visionary way of thinking about the world.