Fallen Founder: The Life of Aaron Burr

Book Description

This definitive biography of the revolutionary era villain overturns every myth and image we have of him

The narrative of America's founding is filled with godlike geniuses—Franklin, Washington, Adams, Jefferson—versus the villainous Aaron Burr. Generations have been told Burr was a betrayer—of Hamilton, of his country, of those who had nobler ideas. All untrue. He did not turn on Hamilton; rather, the politically aggressive Hamilton was preoccupied with Burr and subverted Burr's career at every turn for more than a decade through outright lies and slanderous letters.

In Fallen Founder, Nancy Isenberg portrays the founders as they all really were and proves that Burr was no less a patriot and no less a principled thinker than those who debased him. He was an inspired politician who promoted decency at a moment when factionalism and ugly party politics were coalescing. He was a genuine hero of the Revolution, as much an Enlightenment figure as Jefferson, and a feminist generations ahead of his time. A brilliant orator and lawyer, he was New York's attorney general, a senator, and vice president. Denounced as a man of extreme tastes, he in fact pursued a moderate course, and his political assassination was accomplished by rivals who feared his power and who promoted the notion of his sexual perversions.

Fallen Founder is an antidote to the worshipful biographies far too prevalent in the histories of the revolutionary era. Burr's story returns us to reality: to the cunning politicians our nation's founders really were and to a world of political maneuvering, cutthroat politicking, and media slander that is stunningly modern.

Customer Reviews:

A unique blend of history and biography.......2007-10-20

Actor and author Scott Brick provides an excellent and powerful narration to the biography of a Revolutionary War patriot who should have received as much acclaim as his contemporary Jefferson. He was a feminist before the word was invented, and a politician and legislator who promoted decency and solidarity to a chaotic world. His background as a lawyer and speaker would help change his world, even though Alexander Hamilton thwarted his career and spread lies about his life and politics. 18th century American history comes to life in a unique blend of history and biography perfect for audio libraries featuring nonfiction history.

Diane C. Donovan
California Bookwatch

Follow the Money.......2007-10-16

Most of my negative feelings regarding Isenberg's work have already been ably stated. I am appalled that a working, teaching historian could write such a poorly balanced book. If her purpose was to reopen the Burr debate by arousing the ire of historians working in this historical period, so be it. That is a legitimate aim. But there is evidential materials and there are evidential materials. Which do you use and which do you ignore.
But my most important criticism is where did Burr get his money. Who was paying his bills as he traveled about the nation and the world at large. I wanted this question answered. Ms. Isenberg disappoints.

A Burr in One's Saddle.......2007-10-01

A sober reassessment of Aaron Burr is much needed. This isn't it. Rather than convince us that perhaps Burr wasn't quite the scoundrel we all grew up believing he was--well, all of us except maybe Gore Vidal--the author's only recourse is snipe at Alexander Hamilton and Thomas Jefferson, Burr's two great antagonists. Yes, both were flawed men, but both left behind tremendous legacies to the Republic; in Hamilton's case, a sound economy and in Jefferson's a much expanded country and a reputation for being a man of letters. And Burr? Besides being somewhat ahead of his times in his treatment and regard for women and a pretty good lawyer, one comes up short One comes away from Ms. Isenberg's book with the distinct impression that she fell victim to the biographer's fatal mistake: she fell in love with her subject. A good biography of Burr remains to be written.

Superb biography. Beautiful history........2007-09-23

Most revisionist biographies are dedicated to tearing down the marble statues we've constructed for our founders. This exhaustively researched biography (which brings to mind McCullough's biography of John Adams) builds one. Thoroughly and intentionally revisionist, this nearly perfect blend of biography and colonial history corrects many of the stale myths we carry about Aaron Burr and his contributions to the founding of the United States. Burr was a restless and mammoth intellect severely limited by the provincial political bickering around him. His refusal to be politically labeled has come down to us from historians as his "lack of integrity." And since he refused to allow Hamilton and Jefferson to tag and control him, they attacked him personally. Too liberal for the Federalists and too elitist for the Republicans, ad hominem from resentful enemies has been Burr's unfortunate legacy. This beautifully written book will help you reconsider all that. Includes one of the most impressive collections of fully annotated endnotes I've ever seen.

Saint Burr?.......2007-09-13

To begin, I think this is a well-written and researched book. It also pretty well written. That said, Isenberg's constant drum beat of blind support for Burr make it difficult to take the material seriously. Certainly, Burr was no more the vile snake than Washington, Jefferson, Monroe, Madison and Hamilton are the saints they are portrayed as by history.

Isenberg does little to assist Burr's cause, as her thesis is too easily discounted due to her completely one-sided, sometimes disingenuous and many times childish support for Burr. A reader without a foundation in this era would believe that Burr is (1) a founder of the republic and (2) the actual mythical figure of the pure revolutionary American that was besmirched and ruined by moneyed interests and unscrupulous politicians. Often times, rather than acknowledging Burr's faults, Isenberg excuses them. For me, when a historian makes excuses they eliminate any possibility for objectivity. When she excuses some of Burr's financial schemes and other bad behavior by stating that Hamilton's or other contemporaries were worse, I almost put the book down.
Overall, her attempts to re-create Burr as a man of utmost political and moral character that was virtually the only man of public life during the formative years of this country that remained true to his political cause and refused to engage in dirty tricks, financial schemes and political machinations is so preposterous, that her obviously detailed work backfires. It would have done Burr a better service to portray the man for what he was, with all of his faults, which would have achieved Isenburg's goal -- to show he was not the dastardly villian most know him as. Her attempt to elevate him upon a pedestal above even Washington, Jefferson and others makes her sound ridiculous.

Aaron Burr: The Years from Princeton to Vice President, 1756-1805

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One vote away from the Presidency

Aaron Burr: The Years from Princeton to Vice President, 1756-1805
Milton Lomask
Manufacturer: Farrar Straus & Giroux (T)
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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A Fatal Friendship: Alexander Hamilton and Aaron Burr

ASIN: 0374100160

Customer Reviews:

One vote away from the Presidency.......2006-04-10

No historical figure could be described as an enigma more so than Aaron Burr, a colonel, lawyer, New York Legislator, U.S. Senator, Vice President, and the murderer of Alexander Hamilton. Although Burr had the advantage of coming from a line of presidents of Princeton, he lost both his parents early, and was raised by an uncle he had little feelings for. However, he was an extremely smart and ambitious youth, and made his way through education to become a distinguished soldier (except in the eyes of George Washington, who never trusted him) and a lawyer who practiced in New York. He was always aware of how important appearances were, so he lived far above his means, to the point of being in perpetual debt. Because of a combination of intelligence, ambition and fortunate circumstances, he found himself sought out by Democrat Republicans to be Jefferson's running mate against John Adams in the 1800 Presidential election. The truth was however, that Burr lacked any strong political views, and could have easily allied himself with the rival party, the Federalists. Burr, indeed had his ardent supporters (known as "Burrites") as well as arch-enemies (as Lomask points out, it's difficult to say when exactly Hamilton would fall into this category), not necessarily along party lines.

Burr attempted, as best he could, to keep himself above the struggles of the most powerful New York politicians, and he was, at first, uncontroversial enough to be nominated as Jefferson's running mate. However, because of a quirk in the electoral college (each elector had two votes), Aaron Burr received as many votes as Thomas Jefferson, placing the election between these two in the hands of Congress. Amazingly, Jefferson and Burr never spoke, but the Democratic Republican party asked Burr to announce that he would not serve if elected President, whereas the Federalists now supported Burr as the lesser of two evils (they thought Jefferson, who had served as Vice-President under Adams, would ruin the Country). Burr, playing the middle, refused to say anything, causing Jefferson, when he was finally elected after multiple votes were taken, to absolutely despise his Vice-President, to the point where Burr became a complete Washington outsider, even though he was supposedly the number two man.

Of course, the most notorious part of the first half of Burr's life was his feud with Hamilton, which arose from Burr's learning about a negative comment Hamilton allegedly made at a party concerning Burr's character (Burr was something of a cad) leading to, by far, the most famous duel in American History. And, if you read my review of Lomask's biography of the second part of Burr's life, you will see that the utterly bizarre life of Aaron Burr would become even more bizarre.

The subject matter of Lomask's two biographies, which are both quite good, cannot be more interesting. I do believe, however, that it's only a matter of time until we get a biography about this fascinating and strange man from a more top-flight biographer, perhaps Ron Chernow, who one would think would consider writing a book on Aaron Burr after his extremely well-received biography of Hamilton.

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Aaron Burr, Part 2
Samuel H. Wandell , and Meade Minngerode
Manufacturer: Kessinger Publishing, LLC
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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Aaron Burr, Part 1

ASIN: 0766160971

Book Description

Volume 2 of 2. This work is a biography written, in large part, from original and hitherto unused material. There is in history but one Aaron Burr. He was at once man-of-the-world, student, madman, schemer, diplomat, leader. The authors trust that the world, so long kept in ignorance of Burr's real character, shall come to see him in a new light and appreciate him for what he was - nothing more, nothing less. he would have asked no higher favor than a fair appraisal, nor shall those who have striven to strip away the false and to affirm the truth touching his life and its place in history. Illustrated.

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Aaron Burr, Part 1
Samuel H. Wandell , and Meade Minngerode
Manufacturer: Kessinger Publishing, LLC
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Aaron Burr, Part 2

ASIN: 0766160963

Book Description

Volume 1 of 2. This work is a biography written, in large part, from original and hitherto unused material. There is in history but one Aaron Burr. He was at once man-of-the-world, student, madman, schemer, diplomat, leader. The authors trust that the world, so long kept in ignorance of Burr's real character, shall come to see him in a new light and appreciate him for what he was - nothing more, nothing less. He would have asked no higher favor than a fair appraisal, nor shall those who have striven to strip away the false and to affirm the truth touching his life and its place in history. Illustrated.

Cipher Code of Dishonor, Aaron Burr, an American Enigma: Trinity: The Burrs versus Alexander Hamilton and the United States of America

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Of its type, very good
Aaron Burr, Hero or Traitor?
History reinterpreted with new evidence!
New slant on Burr using his own letters and other overlooked documents
Aaron Burr Is Slimed Again

Cipher Code of Dishonor, Aaron Burr, an American Enigma: Trinity: The Burrs versus Alexander Hamilton and the United States of America

Manufacturer: AuthorHouse
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Book Description

Trinity: The Burrs versus Alexander Hamilton and the United States of America will be the first book to draw on unreported documents and genealogical information to reveal an unprecedented look into the relationships of Aaron Burr, Alexander Hamilton, Trinity Church Corporation and the Loyalists of Manhattan Island. Author Alan J. Clark shows in new perspective the battles and intrigues leading beyond the American Revolutionary War. With the melding of genealogy and timeline analysis Clark examines some of the intriguing ciphered letters of Aaron Burr to his daughter Theodosia, and looks again at Burr's curious and complex war time exploits to determine where his Loyalist tendencies actually began. Clark further examines the land leases then traded prior, during, and after the war as speculation, or possibly as rewards from the English Crown for services performed in its favor in the colonies primarily through the Corporation of Trinity Church. The economics of early Manhattan and the Atlantic colonies were bolstered by the complex and secular behavior of the Corporation of Trinity Church acting as land bank for the Loyalists to the Throne of England. Clark appears to fill in the gaps in many recently published tomes by delving deeper into the actions of Burr and Hamilton, examining their extensive familial connections and behaviors to arrive at a complex web of intricacy bringing to life American History at its most personal level. This book does not reiterate the well worn paths of American History. Instead, it brings a crisp new approach that makes sense of seemingly insignificant, disjointed and inconsistent stories of the early history of our country.

Customer Reviews:

Of its type, very good.......2007-01-05

I bought this book based largely on other reviewers. If you are a someone who really gets into the minutia of family names connected to Burr and Hamilton, this book is for you. The author also makes the assumption (and says so in the introduction) that the reader understands the basic history of the events. The casual reader of history may not make it through this book, getting lost in the detailed connections of various relatives of Burr and Hamilton. There are fascinating revelations and speculations unearthed, making it a decent book.

Aaron Burr, Hero or Traitor?.......2006-08-09

Based on facts little known or revealed elsewhere
Clark, the author, advances a theory novel to American
History that Aaron Burr was a loyalist throughout his
life, even during the Revolutionary War, wherein he is
most commonly thought an American hero. Using
genealogy, land deeds and leases Clark finds
connections to the British hitherto ignored by
Historians. This book is not a rehash of current
accepted American history. His interpretation of
Aaron Burr's own coded letters in his published
Memoirs fall in neatly with this theory. He gives new
political meaning to the duel between Aaron Burr and
Alexander Hamilton beyond a trifling slight. He even
points the reader toward an interpretation of current
events with roots in the Loyalist American cause.
This book will make you think that history may still
be ripe for reinterpretation.

History reinterpreted with new evidence!.......2006-08-09

New slant on Burr using his own letters and other overlooked documents .......2006-08-08

I read this book through in one sitting because it covered strikingly different ground from that in standard history books. Translating Burr's ciphered letters for the first time and relating them to events of the era, the author has uncovered Burr's collaboration with the British during the Revolution and his subsequent intentions to undermine the fledgling American democracy. Using original land deeds of the era as evidence, the author presents a powerful rationale for Burr's misdeeds. This is a thought provoking work to read and discuss with others who enjoy history and its rogue protagonists.

Aaron Burr Is Slimed Again.......2006-01-22

In essence, Alan Clark's book is one big gossip column. The only difference between his work and those of other gossip mongers in our nation's periodicals is that the latter know how to write a coherent sentence, properly punctuated and generally void of misspellings. Of course, they must submit to the discipline of editors and they usually write for reputable publishers who demand that quotations be checked, that facts be accurate and that documentation be provided. Clark does not concern himself with any of these things. His book is a self-published, printed-on-demand product, a growing part of the "listen to me" industry that also includes personal websites known as blogs.

Jefferson's Vendetta: The Pursuit of Aaron Burr and the Judiciary

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Corruption and Treason
A Critical Moment in American History
Revisionist History
Truly, "The Trial of the Century"
Vendetta

Jefferson's Vendetta: The Pursuit of Aaron Burr and the Judiciary
Joseph Wheelan
Manufacturer: Carroll & Graf
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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Burr, Hamilton, and Jefferson: A Study in Character
Aaron Burr : Conspiracy to Treason
Duel: Alexander Hamilton, Aaron Burr, and the Future of America
Fallen Founder: The Life of Aaron Burr
Jefferson's Secrets: Death And Desire In Monticello

ASIN: 0786714379

Book Description

Generations of Americans have known Thomas Jefferson as one of our unambiguously great presidents, a man of honor and optimism unencumbered by pettiness and spite; and so they have known Aaron Burr, his greatest adversary, as a traitorous would-be destroyer of that distinguished legacy. In Jefferson’s Vendetta, Joseph Wheelan examines one of the eminent political rivalries in our history, set against the backdrop of postcolonial Virginia, and discovers a truth vastly different from what is taught in high schools and universities. Here is Burr, the flawed but gifted politician who made powerful enemies because his charm and skill rivaled Jefferson’s own, and who trusted the fairness of American democracy too deeply to rebut the wild criticisms aimed at him by slanderers in the U.S. government. Supreme Court chief justice John Marshall is also presented, who knew that he and his weakened federal judiciary could be redeemed by a few shrewdly considered words—or condemned by miscalculated ones—during America’s first “trial of the century.” Lastly, in vivid detail, is Jefferson, whose obsessive crusade to destroy Burr was undone by one mammoth but historically overlooked miscalculation. Eight pages of illustrations are featured in this detailed account of an historic reversal of roles.

Customer Reviews:

Corruption and Treason.......2006-08-13

This is a part of history I had not studied before, and the same story is told in the earlier "The Jefferson Conspiracies" which continues on with the death of Meriwether Lewis and the rest of the career of General Wilkinson the really corrupt and treasonous person in both books. Both books are very readable, I found some of the points more clear in the other book. Both books feel Wilkinson betrayed Burr to hide his own involvement and would have killed him rather than see him go to trial. The second book speculates the same may have happened to Lewis as he was traveling East because he felt he was being framed in the same manner as Burr (thou in this case apparently competely innocent), and Wilkinson may have thought he was also going to provide evidence of his corrupt land deals.

This book tries to portray Burr as an innocent, which is hard to believe. While it is clear with just 50 men on there way to live on land owned by Burr , no treasous armed uprising against the US or Spain had yet occurred, (rather than the thousands of armed men approaching New Orleans that Wilkinson claimed). But it seemed that both Wilkinson and Burr solicited British and others for help with attacking Spain with Burr to be King (not President) and perhaps to divide the western territory from the US so at least in todays standards treason had occurred. Back then the Federalist were considering withdrawing New England from the union as well and before it was made illegal (but only a high misdameanor) there were US forays into Spainish terrority Jefferson at least wanted Spain to worry about a rogue attack from the US,such thoughts were not unusual in those days.

It is clear that Wilkinson was in Spain's payroll, and was traitous. Both books argue Jefferson shielded him by letting him have a phoney Court Marshall rather than an investigation by Congress. The one book claims it is to protect himself and his support of his star witness against Burr. The other for the national interest, from New England threatening to leave the Union and Britain invasion from Canada , the country could not stand for the distraction, plus Wilkinson's contacts with Spain made him useful with negotian about Florida and Mexico. He escaped conviction again in 1815, which even President Madison found troubling.

A Critical Moment in American History.......2005-07-07

Every society has a moment in time where a decision affecting civil liberties has enormous repercussions. For example, laws giving the government power to curtail political assassinations were abused by Stalin and Hitler to consolidate their dictatorships. This book covers the issues and personalities involved in the courtroom battle over whether the United States would adopt the British doctrine of constructive treason in which merely thinking that it would be desirable to have the King killed would be sufficient grounds for capital punishment. Jefferson, who intensely disliked his former vice-president Burr, sought to press treason charges for an alleged plan to cause the western regions to sucede from the United States. Faced with shaky evidence, the prosecutors urged that the Constitution be interpreted to enable them to convict Burr on the basis of constructive treason. The book cogently describes the societal and personal issues at stake, and how Chief Justice Marshall navigated the intense political and judicial issues involved in the grand jury proceeding and trial. The author does an excellent job of setting the matter in its historical context and does so in a very readable style.

Revisionist History.......2005-07-05

I don't know why Mr. Wheelan has such a sore spot about Jefferson. I would just warn readers that if you read this book, make sure you read many other historical books about these same characters. If you happen to read this book, and have not read other material about these characters, you will come away with a slanted view about Thomas Jefferson, and the other historical characters in this book. There are so many writers who, for reasons of profit or ideology, have taken upon themselves the job of rewriting history to their own liking, or that of their publisher. This book has several historical mistakes, but the overall tone reminds me of some of our current extremists who take a one sided view about many issues. Jefferson was a flawed human being, that is clear to anyone who reads history. But to paint him in this light is unfair. Burr, on the other hand, was not a nice guy. He was the kind of man Bush would have been if he had lived during that time. Power hungry, instigating failed military missions, and willing to kill to get his way. Yes, that is harsh, but painfully true. Be wary of revisionist history. I give this book four stars for its inventiveness; it does have some entertainment value. Wheelan writes well, but perhaps he should switch to fiction and stop trying to turn Jefferson into someone he was not. Thomas Jefferson was a man who would not tolerate tyrants and insisted on civil liberty. Not perfect, but not the character created in Mr. Wheelan's book.

Truly, "The Trial of the Century".......2005-07-03

In the early nineteenth century, former Vice-President Aaron Burr -- the recent killer of Alexander Hamilton in a duel -- was up to something. Maybe it was an attempt to conquer Spanish Mexico and set up an American empire. Perhaps it was a plot to separate the western territories (and Kentucky) from the rest of the Union. Maybe it was both. Maybe it was neither, Historians still debate the matter. But whatever it was, it ended up with Burr on trial for treason, with Chief Justice John Marshall presiding over the trial (and President Thomas Jefferson a behind-the-scenes prosecutor). Burr was eventually acqutted (probably more for lack of specific evidence and creditable witnesses -- Burr's co-conspirators did not inspire confidence in their own integrity) but it was an extraordinarily dramatic event in the early American Republic. Wheelan tells it story well, although he is clearly not sympathetic to Jefferson. I regret to say that Wheelan's accuracy is made suspect by errors he makes: in the space of four pages Wheelan writes that James Wilkinson (the comanding general of the US Army and secretly a paid Spanish agent and the chief Government witness against Aaron Burr) had in 1775 accompanied Benedict Arnold in his famous march across the Maine wilderness to attack Canada (Wilkinson had actually been among the reinforcements reaching Arnold the next year) and also that Westchester County is in Connecticut (a statement that would amaze thousands of New York State taxpayers). But, overall I found Wheelan's account to be a gripping narrative about both conspiracy and trial.

Vendetta.......2005-03-21

A lively account of a notable trial in U.S. history. Mr. Wheelan writes like a reporter (which he has been) more than a more measured historian. Here President Jefferson is the bad guy with Chief Justice Marshall saving the day. Burr is presented as a mis-understood rogue with political enemies in high places. I do not accept the author's version of the first presidential election of Jefferson, which gives an exceedingly favorable bent to Burr's actions. Burr also killed Hamilton, which does not cause the author much pause.

In my mind, John Marshall is our country's greatest jurist. This book does help in showing an important example of his fine work.

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Aaron Burr
William Wise
Manufacturer: Backinprint.com
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0595196306

Book Description

On May 4th 1812, a transatlantic sailing ship, the Aurora, reached Boston harbor. Aboard was a passenger traveling under an assumed name.

Only the Aurora’s captain knew that “Mr. Adolphus Arnot” was really one of the most famous—and infamous—American’s of the age; that he was, in fact, the celebrated and notorious Colonel Aaron Burr.

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Aaron Burr: A biography (Perpetua book)
Nathan Schachner
Manufacturer: A.S. Barnes
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding

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ASIN: B0008AI8DS

Aaron Burr: The Conspiracy and Years of Exile, 1805-1836 (Aaron Burr)

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The wacky world of Aaron Burr

Aaron Burr: The Conspiracy and Years of Exile, 1805-1836 (Aaron Burr)
Milton Lomask
Manufacturer: Farrar Straus & Giroux (T)
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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Aaron Burr : Conspiracy to Treason
Burr, Hamilton, and Jefferson: A Study in Character
Jefferson's Vendetta: The Pursuit of Aaron Burr and the Judiciary

ASIN: 0374100179

Customer Reviews:

The wacky world of Aaron Burr.......2005-05-10

This extremely compelling (and, unfortunately, out-of-print) biography picks up Aaron Burr's life after he killed Alexander Hamilton in U.S. history's most famous duel (which, by the way, took place in Weehawken, New Jersey, along the bank of the Hudson River) and after the conclusion of his vice presidential term. In fact, Jefferson and Burr were sworn enemies, and their mutual hatred only increased over time (Burr was vice president for only the first of the two terms that Jefferson served).

In 1805, the cash-strapped Burr, already widely considered a scoundrel, became basically a con artist, who attempted to raise money by telling people of means what they wanted to hear. To ambitious Americans, he was leading an army to "conquer" portions of the now-southern United States and Mexico, which were controlled by Spain, if and when the U.S. and Spain went to war. For those less aggressive, he was simply leading a group of pioneers to settle what were known as the Bastrop lands. The story he told to potential Spanish and British backers was quite different: he was raising an army to conquer "western" U.S. States bordering the Mississippi, which would then be allied to Spain or Britain (depending on whom he was talking to) although no one could ever prove that this was his real intention. While some of his backers and allies were sincere, others, like General Wilkinson, the "dictator" of New Orleans, and on the payroll as an agent from Spain, turned out to be an even bigger scoundrel than Burr, and betrayed Burr to Jefferson. When Jefferson began taking the threat of Burr seriously, an army was raised to defeat Burr's "army" which consisted of 60 to 100 men, women and children which could not have invaded a small island, not to mention an entire State.

Ex-Vice President Burr was then put on trial for treason, presided over by Chief Justice John Marshall acting in his capacity as a circuit judge, and, after hearing from 50 or so witnesses, a jury eventually acquitted him of all charges (thanks in large part to Marshall's instructions to the jury regarding the law). Burr than fled to Britain to escape his numerous creditors, and criminal charges in different states (including the murder of Hamilton). In Europe, he basically lived like a nobleman at night, and a pauper during the day. Eventually, he returned to the U.S. and, at a relatively old age, resumed his profession as a lawyer, but always remained in debt, and in search of a "get rich quick" scheme. Always, throughout his life, Burr stayed extremely close to his daughter, Theodosia, one of the few people who Burr ever truly respected. Late in life, he also developed relationships with the children of various women he had affairs with after his wife died.

Burr's life was incredibly bizarre, much stranger than fiction. Milton Lomask does an admirable task in trying to convey Burr's life, although I got the feeling that he grew maybe a little too sympathetic to his subject. Lomask, however, is not in the same class of biographers as, for example, David McCullough or Ron Chernow. That is why I believe the definitive book about this fascinating and complex man has yet to be written. I do, however, recommend Lomask's book about the second half of Burr's life, and I plan on reading his other biography about the first half.

Notorious Americans - Aaron Burr and the Young Nation (Notorious Americans)

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Notorious Americans - Aaron Burr and the Young Nation (Notorious Americans)
W. Scott Ingram
Manufacturer: Blackbirch Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Board book

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ASIN: 1567112501

Book Description

While serving as vice-president of the United States, Burr dueled and killed Alexander Hamilton, one of the nation's most revered leaders. Later, Burr hatched a plot to take over U.S. western territory and form his own country.

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