For the background on this post, including the distinction between certain, probable, and possible, see the first post in this series. This series of posts is available as a video playlist at https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PL9eyRnt5W114bs8_CJNvlcLfIB4NW_YTB.

Working through the primary sources: there’s not enough evidence to prove that an affair between Alexander Hamilton and Angelica Schuyler Church is either certain or probable. But is it possible? If Alexander Hamilton was promiscuous, it might be possible that he slept with Angelica, as well as other women. In the first three posts in this series, we looked at primary sources that are often cited to prove Hamilton was promiscuous: the Reynolds Affair, the “goddess letter”, and the “tomcat story”. None of these hold up as proof that Hamilton slept around. In the fourth post we looked at Alexander’s and Angelica’s letters, considering whether they demonstrate a sexual attraction so strong that Alexander and Angelica couldn’t have resisted acting on it. Last week we looked at the “Knight of the Garter” anecdote. This week we wrap up with an overview.

Context: Hamilton’s life

Let’s look at the question of an affair between Alexander and Angelica in the context of Hamilton’s life.

We know for certain that Alexander lost his family and his home while he was very young.

We know for certain that he fell in love with Elizabeth Schuyler early in 1780, married her in December of that year, and kept on loving her for the rest of his life. That’s clear from his letters. (You can search Founders Online for their letters: it’s an invaluable resource.)

We know that the Schuyler family was close-knit, and that Alexander was warmly accepted into it. He and Eliza often travelled for days or weeks to spend time with her parents in Albany. As a lawyer riding the circuit in New York State, Hamilton sometimes visited the Schuylers while Eliza was at home in New York City. He sent her news of them. If she visited them without him, she reported family news to him, as well.

Alexander worked with Eliza’s father, Philip Schuyler, in military and political affairs. Their letters suggest mutual respect.

Peggy and Angelica corresponded not only with Eliza, but with Alexander. When Peggy was on her deathbed in 1801, Alexander was in Albany for a court case. Peggy and the Schuyler parents asked him to remain in Albany with them, instead of returning immediately to his family in New York City.[1]

So: the Schuylers are a close family, and Hamilton is accepted as part of that family. All this is certain. It’s confirmed by many letters from several different writers over a long period.

The close-knit Schuyler family apparently forgave Alexander for being duped into a brief affair with Maria Reynolds. But it’s just not conceivable that they would have forgiven an affair between Eliza’s husband and Angelica. Think of any close-knit family you know, and imagine the havoc if in-laws started sleeping with siblings they weren’t married to.

If or when Eliza and her family learned of an affair between Alexander and Angelica, Alexander would have lost his wife, his children, and the adopted family that he loved. Angelica would have lost her children, too: in the eighteenth century, known adulteresses were not treated kindly.

Even Alexander’s enemies admit that he’s consistently intelligent and far-sighted. He could not have failed to see the dire consequences of having an affair with Angelica … even if he wanted to have one, for which we do not have any conclusive evidence.

In sum: I think Alexander admired Angelica and flirted with her light-heartedly, in full view of the family; but I don’t think the two ever had an affair.

What’s left?

The evidence we have doesn’t put an affair between Alexander and Angelica into the realm of certain, probable, or possible. But perhaps you’re saying: “An affair could have happened! You can’t prove that it didn’t! Perhaps they were simply very, very discreet.”

Two points about that.

First: There’s a reason one can’t be asked to prove a negative. If a thing doesn’t exist, it’s not going to produce any evidence. Saying, “Prove Angelica and Alexander didn’t have an affair” isn’t a valid request. To say one can imagine they did carries no weight. It’s an arbitrary statement.

Second: By the 1780s, Hamilton had enemies who would have been happy to use any weapon they could find against him. They were constantly watching for weaknesses to exploit.[2] During the three decades he lived in America, he was accused of a multitude of sins: being a monarchist, being arrogant, being a sham intellectual who didn’t have an original thought in his head, and manipulating others to advance his career. The enemies never, even once, accused him of sleeping around, except in the Reynolds Affair. Given the energy of Alexander’s enemies, it is worth mentioning that they never mention an affair with his sister-in-law.

One might say that it’s possible more evidence will emerge. Some archives are just now being catalogued. Some people are still finding documents in their attics or tucked into picture frames. But at present, the evidence we’ve got doesn’t justify even the possibility that Alexander Hamilton and Angelica Schuyler Church had an affair.

[1] Alexander to Eliza, 3/10/1801:  “The Senate has refused on account of the interference with other business to hear any more causes this session; so that were it not for the situation of your Sister Peggy, her request that I would stay a few days longer and the like request of your father and mother, I could now return to you. But how can I resist these motives for continuing a while longer? Things must change this week but at all events I set out for New York the beginning of the next. I cannot resolve to be longer kept from you and my dear Children. There has been little alteration either way in Peggys situation for these past four days.” https://founders.archives.gov/documents/Hamilton/01-25-02-0193  He reported Peggy’s death in a letter of 3/16/1801: https://founders.archives.gov/documents/Hamilton/01-25-02-0195

[2] See, for example, attacks by supporters of Governor George Clinton in 1787, described in this post: https://diannedurantewriter.com/archives/2711 (see also Hamilton A Friend to America, vol. 2, pp. 51-56).

More

• This series of posts is an elaboration of a six-page appendix on this subject that appears in Alexander Hamilton and the Reynolds Affair.
• For my books on Alexander Hamilton, see this page; for blog posts, see the Hamilton tag.
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