[Congressional Record Volume 142, Number 41 (Friday, March 22, 1996)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E432]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




              RECOGNIZING THE 240th BIRTHDAY OF AARON BURR

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                           HON. RICHARD BURR

                           of north carolina

                    in the house of representatives

                         Friday, March 22, 1996

  Mr. BURR. Mr. Speaker, February 6 marked the 240th birthday of Aaron 
Burr, who was born in 1756. Aaron Burr had no direct descendants, but 
many of us in the Burr family are collaterally related. And during this 
year marking Aaron Burr's 240th birthday, I would like to take this 
opportunity to share with my colleagues some of the positive 
contributions Aaron Burr made to our great Nation.
  Aaron Burr was a colonel in the Revolutionary War and was the third 
Vice President of the United States. He was born in Newark, NJ, and 
graduated from Princeton with the highest academic record yet achieved. 
His father, Rev. Aaron Burr, Sr., and grandfather, Rev. Jonathan 
Edwards, were the second and third presidents of Princeton. Aaron Burr 
participated in the 600 mile winter march on the fort at Quebec as an 
aide to General Montgomery. During the assault, Montgomery was mortally 
wounded and Burr attempted to carry the man to safety. Burr also served 
on Gen. George Washington's staff and spent the winter of 1778 at 
Valley Forge. Assignment took him to the Hudson Valley and several 
skirmishes with the enemy. He distinguished himself in New Jersey at 
the Battle of Monmouth on June 28, 1778.
  Following the Revolutionary War, Aaron Burr practiced law in New York 
City and pursued an interest in politics. After serving in the New York 
State Legislature and the U.S. Senate, he ran on the Republican ticket 
for the Presidency with Thomas Jefferson. While it was intended that 
Jefferson would be President and Burr Vice President, the Electoral 
College's initial vote resulted in a tie vote between the two men. The 
election was then thrown into the House of Representatives, which 
eventually elected Jefferson as President and Burr as his Vice 
President.
  Aaron Burr's finest accomplishment during his tenure as Vice 
President occurred during the impeachment trial of Supreme Court 
Associate Justice Samuel Chase. In 1804, Jefferson was incensed at the 
Federalist-dominated judiciary. He feared that it would nullify an act 
of Congress by declaring the act unconstitutional and thereby 
subverting the will of the people. As Vice President, Aaron Burr 
presided over the impeachment trial that began on February 4, 1805, 
with the Jeffersonians hoping that Burr would lean their way. Aaron 
Burr, however, acted impartially and Chase was acquitted on all counts. 
The newspapers of both parties agreed that although the trial began as 
a political inquest, it ended as a memorable example of judicial 
procedure at its best. One of the papers reported that Burr conducted 
the trial ``with the dignity and impartiality of an angel, but with the 
rigor of the devil.''
  I would like to thank the Aaron Burr Association, which is dedicated 
to presenting a more balanced view of our third Vice President, for 
their assistance in providing research for this account of Aaron Burr's 
contributions to our young Nation.

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