Didn’t know that Hamilton was a part-time SOB.
From what I have read, daring someone to do that and knowing full well the likely result was not beyond him.
I like Hamilton. He was flawed in many ways, and I think he is being unfairly painted as the father of todays federal government, but I submit he would be aghast at the Federal Government today, not the least for the complete and total lack of fiscal responsibility.
Hamilton does not get enough credit for managing the money matters of our country in its infancy to ensure it was not strangled in the cradle.
That reminds me of another story about Washington that I thought told a lot about him. (I may not have the facts exactly right, because it has been a while since I read it, but the flavor is the same)
During his second administration, stories began appearing about how Washington was out of touch, a doddering old man who couldn’t make a decision about anything, and was being led around by the nose particularly by a man like Hamilton. (Sound familiar? Ronald Reagan, perhaps?)
Washington had unimpeachable evidence that it was Thomas Jefferson who had been fostering this meme in the public eye. The story goes, met with Jefferson face to face, and in no uncertain terms, told him he knew exactly what had been going on, and why he unarguably had the truth in a matter Jefferson had outright deceived him about.
From that time on, they were estranged, and didn’t go beyond polite greetings in public.
Hamilton started the first party—the Federalist—from this root was born the Republican Party. To be that sort of organizer you need to be an SOB sometimes.