George Eacker

George I. Eacker (c. 1774 – January 4, 1804)[1] was a New York lawyer and Freemason who fatally shot Philip Hamilton, son of Alexander Hamilton, in a duel on November 23, 1801.[2][3]

Biography

Eacker was born to Jacob Eacker, who fought in the American Revolution and served in the New York State Assembly, and married Anna Margaret Finck, daughter of Andreas Finck.[2]

In 1801, Eacker, a supporter of Aaron Burr, made a speech denigrating Alexander Hamilton. Hamilton's son, Philip Hamilton, and Philip's friend Richard Price confronted Eacker on November 21.[2] Eacker called them "damned rascals" so, as was common at the time, they challenged Eacker to a duel.[2]

Price faced the 27-year-old Eacker in a duel on November 22. Shots were exchanged but neither party was injured. The following day, Eacker fatally shot the 19-year-old Hamilton in a second duel.[2]

After Philip's death, in a letter to Rufus King, Robert Troup wrote of Alexander: "Never did I see a man so completely overwhelmed with grief as Hamilton had been."[4]

Eacker died less than three years after Philip Hamilton. His cause of death was reported as consumption, but his brother claimed it was prolonged sickness contracted while fighting a fire in cold weather (while a captain in the fire department).[2]

Portrayals

Eacker is portrayed in the 2015 Broadway musical Hamilton through a performance originated by Ephraim M. Sykes. A fictional version of his duel with Phillip Hamilton appears in the musical number ("Blow Us All Away") and foreshadows the Burr–Hamilton duel only a few years later (July 11, 1804) on the same dueling ground in Weehawken, New Jersey.

See also

References

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