Aaron Burr: Biography of the Third President of the United States

Aaron Burr Jr. was born on February 6, 1756, in Newark, New Jersey, into a family that embodied the intellectual and religious ferment of colonial America. His father, Aaron Burr Sr., served as the second president of Princeton University, following in the footsteps of Jonathan Edwards, the great theologian who was both his predecessor and grandfather to young Aaron through his mother, Esther Edwards Burr. This lineage placed Aaron at the intersection of Enlightenment thought and Puritan tradition, influences that would shape his complex worldview throughout his life.

Tragedy struck early in Aaron's life, leaving indelible marks on his character. His father died when Aaron was barely two years old, followed by his mother's death just a year later. His grandfather Jonathan Edwards died shortly thereafter, leaving Aaron and his sister Sally orphans by the age of four. They were taken in by their uncle Timothy Edwards, but this arrangement proved less than nurturing. Timothy Edwards was a stern disciplinarian who showed little warmth toward his charges, creating an environment that may have contributed to Aaron's later reputation for emotional detachment and self-reliance.

The young Burr displayed remarkable intellectual precocity, entering Princeton University at age thirteen in 1769. This was not entirely unusual for the era, but Aaron's academic performance was exceptional even by the standards of colonial higher education. He studied classical languages, philosophy, mathematics, and theology, though he showed little interest in following the family tradition of religious ministry. Instead, he was drawn to secular learning and the emerging ideas about natural rights and government that were beginning to permeate colonial intellectual circles.