Alexander Hamilton — Financial Architect, Federalist Papers Author

**Alexander Hamilton** was the orphan from Nevis who became the architect of American capitalism. Born in 1755 (or 1757 — even his birth year is disputed) in the Caribbean, the illegitimate son of a failed Scottish trader and a woman of French Huguenot descent, he arrived in New York at 17 with nothing but intelligence and ferocious ambition. By 25 he was George Washington's chief aide-de-camp. By 32 he was the first Secretary of the Treasury, designing the financial system that would make the United States a global economic power.