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. Through his own talents and with the advantage of his father's name, James served as temporary Secretary of State and District Attorney of New York. James enjoyed a close-knit family life with his wife, Mary Morris, at his Hudson River home named Nevis for his father's birthplace. He was part of the crew of the yacht America, for which the America's Cup is named, and on the committee for New York's Crystal Palace in 1853. More importantly, he served his country through the War of 1812, Western Expansion, and the bloody Civil War. His first-hand account of these transformative events gives readers a priceless look at America's past. James supported the abolition of slavery and wrote a draft of the Emancipation Proclamation before settling down to write his own Reminiscences that cover the first seventy-five years of US history. This biography makes James A Hamilton's life and observations accessible to the modern reader and will leave you with a new appreciation for the Founders' heirs who inherited the difficult work of building a nation. AUTHOR: Samantha Wilcoxson is the author of emotive historical fiction and nonfiction. Her most recent biographical fiction works include Luminous: The Story of a Radium Girl, based on the true story of Catherine Donohue, and But One Life: The Story of Nathan Hale. Samantha is also part of the Historical Writers Forum and has contributed to their annual short story anthologies. Women of the American Revolution was Samantha's foray into nonfiction with mini-biographies crafted to enable readers to connect personally with notable eighteenth-century women. Whether fiction or nonfiction, Samantha's writing urges the reader to experience what it truly felt like to live through a historical moment. When not reading or writing, Samantha can often be found gathered with her family on a small Michigan lake or travelling to historic places that often find their way into her books or her blog. She enjoys spotlighting history's unsung heroes and the lesser-known people who played their part in creating the world we live in today. 30 b/w illustrations