Aaron Burr

Burr, Aaron (1756–1836), U.S. lawyer and politician, vice president under Thomas Jefferson 1801–5, also known for having killed Alexander Hamilton in a duel (1804). Burr was admitted to the New York bar in 1782 and was attorney general (1789–91) and U.S. senator (1781–97). After his term as vice president he was involved in efforts to expand settlements in the West. He was accused of treason for allegedly trying to establish a private empire. Though acquitted of the charge, in 1812, he retired from public life and returned to practice law in New York.