Justice Marshall, as capable, honorable, and incorruptible a jurist as
the country has known, would not have it so. Unfortunately, the
brilliant arraignment by William Wirt was printed and read for half a
century, while the calm rulings of Chief Justice Marshall never went
beyond the court room.

Why did a man of his capabilities, upon retirement from the
vice-presidency, attempt, at fifty years of age to start life anew under
such unpromising conditions? Because he was suddenly politically and
professionally ruined. Ruined because he had killed Alexander Hamilton
in a duel. Why did he do it? It is a long story.

To make it intelligent, his life must be reviewed. After a brilliant
military career, which began when he was nineteen and left him an
heroic colonel, he studied law and practiced in Albany. At the age
of twenty-eight he was a leader in the New York legislature, and was
chairman of the most important committees, always with the people,
against the aristocracy--an unpardonable mistake in those times.
At thirty-four he was attorney-general of the state, and his great
decisions were accepted by all other states. At thirty-four he
established the Manhattan bank of New York city. He was the only man
with the ability or courage to find a way to establish a bank for the
people, and the solidity of that institution for a hundred years is an
all-sufficient vindication of his plan. At thirty-five he was appointed
and confirmed as a supreme court judge of New York state, but he
declined the honor, and was the same year elected to the United States
senate. He was re-elected, serving in all fourteen years.

At the second presidential election Senator Burr received one vote in
the electoral college, at the third he received thirty, and in the