You may have already guessed it, but today I am writing about Aaron Burr. And, yes, sort of about Donald Trump (just sort of), because there is a connection.

My biographical information comes from David Stewart’s book “American Emperor”, which I finished last night.

All you may know is that Aaron Burr killed Alexander Hamilton in a duel. (“I could shoot someone on Fifth Avenue and I wouldn’t lose a vote.” See what I mean?)

Let’s learn a little more. Burr was a lawyer, a New Yorker, a widower and womanizer, a Federalist, a narcissist, and a man who was brilliant, charming, easy to like, easy to upset, and excellent at making enemies. Especially making enemies among other Federalists (such as Hamilton).

He ran for president against Thomas Jefferson and finished second. Under the rules of the day, this made him vice president president under a member of an opposing party. He thought Jefferson a dunce, was upset that as vice president he had nothing to do except chair Senate sessions and, with all that, was furious when he was dropped as Jefferson’s second term vice president.

What to do? Basically (no reason to get too detailed), Burr decided to raise his own army, with the help of some high ranking, but not necessarily clear thinking, Jefferson appointees with a number of quite immodest goals in mind. For example, convincing the residents of the newly purchased Louisiana territory to rebel and create their own country. Secondly, to attack Spain and wrest away Florida and the Gulf Coast. Thirdly, to extend the war against Spain and capture Mexico and then perhaps more of South America.

He accomplished more than you might expect, drawing others into his plans and ruining the lives of most of them until they turned against him. And then, of course, his plans just fizzled out. And his efforts, long rumored, were publicly confirmed.

Now, remember, Aaron Burr was not an ordinary Joe. He was a former vice president AND there were murder indictments pending against him in New Jersey and New York for the murder of Hamilton. He couldn’t set foot in either of those states and extradition was always a possibility. Living in a new western country, being a hero, would save his skin. Get the picture?

Burr was in fact arrested in Virginia and charged with many crimes, including treason and (by virtue of his plans to move against Spain) violation of the Neutrality Act.

About a third of Stewart’s book is devoted to the trial which was presided over by Chief Justice John Marshall, acting as a circuit riding judge. Again, I will spare you details, but there were weeks of arguing about juries and witnesses and allowable evidence and definitions of terms like treason (very narrow) and jurisdiction and on and on.  So, yes, we have never tried a former president for felonies, but there are lessons to be learned perhaps from the trials of Aaron Burr, even though the American legal system was then in a much different state.

A few more simple truths about the trial. Politics, politics, politics. Shenanigans, shenanigans, shenanigans. If you think things are wild today…..

And, oh yes, Federalist justice Marshall seemed not very happy with Democrat president Jefferson’s vendetta against Burr, and Burr was found innocent and freed.

Burr, by the way, was also always short on funds and deeply in debt (that’s the one thing he shared with Jefferson), and now had lost all of his friends and supporters. So he went to England and France to enlist their help against Spain’s territory in the Western Hemisphere. Struck out there, too.

No money, no friends, almost not allowed back in the country, his one grandson killed by a fever, his only daughter killed in a ship wreck. He returned to New York and lived to 80, an apparent shadow of himself. And clearly at 80 too old to run for president.

(this post written in the West End Tatte coffee shop. All errors are theirs.)