ALS, one page, 6.5 x 8, April 9, 1799. The letter, written on behalf of "Ezra L’Hommedieu," in part: "I have received your letter informing me of the Non Payment of Mr. Gelston’s note endorsed by me for Eight Thousand Dollars. I consent that you receive the four Thousand Dollars which have been deposited on account of this note without prejudice to your recourse…me as endorser." Signed at the conclusion by L’Hommedieu, and signed in the lower left corner by Hamilton, "To Alexander Hamilton Esq." In very good condition, with staining to the left side, dampstaining to the right side, and the upper left corner area clipped off.
By this contract written out by Hamilton, L’Hommedieu agreed to pay off $4,000 from a $8,000 loan if it was unpaid by the borrower to Hamilton’s client and loaner, Louis Le Guen. Both L’Hommedieu and David Gelston, two well-known New York statesmen who both served on the Continental Congress, were close friends to Aaron Burr, and one of which played a role in the Hamilton-Reynolds affair, acted as security for a loan of $8,000 Burr borrowed from Le Guen. In the present letter, Hamilton is confirming that L’Hommedieu and Gelston will agree to payoff the loan if Burr fails to pay it to Le Guen. A more detailed account of this loan is referenced in The Papers of Alexander Hamilton: Volume XXIII. A fascinating association between Alexander Hamilton and Aaron Burr that may have led to animosity between the two, of which set the stage for the infamous 1804 duel.
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