Currency - USA - 10 Dollar - Year 2013

Item Code: 159/us-3

Year	2013
Obverse	Alexander Hamilton (1st U.S. Treasury Secretary).
Reverse	U.S. Treasury.
Size	156 x 67 mm

Obverse description

Alexander Hamilton 

Alexander Hamilton (born January 11, 1755–died July 12, 1804) was a statesman, a political theorist and an economist. He was one of the Founding Fathers of the United States. Hamilton was the United States' first Secretary of the Treasury. He was known for the creation of a national bank. Born on the island of Nevis in the Caribbean, Hamilton moved to New York. When the American Revolutionary War started, Hamilton served in the Continental Army. He was a close aide to General George Washington. After leaving the military he started a bank. He was one of the framers of the United States Constitution. Along with James Madison and John Jay, he wrote the Federalist Papers, which supported the new Constitution.

Hamilton became the Secretary of the Treasury under George Washington. He helped set up the United States' financial system. Hamilton supported a national bank as well as the funding of the national debt. A leader of the Federalist Party, he was a longtime rival of Thomas Jefferson. He was killed in a duel with political rival Aaron Burr in 1804.

Today, Hamilton is usually thought of as one of the most important of the early leaders Hamilton is shown on the face of the U.S. 10 dollar bill. Hamilton is one of only two non-presidents honored on commonly used notes.

Duel and death: 

Hamilton had a long-time rivalry with Jefferson's vice president Aaron Burr. This resulted in the Burr–Hamilton duel of 1804 in which Burr killed Hamilton. Hamilton kept Burr from being re-nominated for Vice President. He also kept him from becoming Governor of New York. Burr responded by challenging Hamilton to a duel. They agreed to meet July 11, 1804 at Weehawken, New Jersey. Dueling was illegal in New York which is why they chose Weehawken. It was also the site where Philip Hamilton, Alexander Hamilton's son, had been killed in a duel three years earlier. The night before the duel, Hamilton wrote his will, letters to friends, and finally a letter to his wife. At dawn the next morning the two met at Weehawken. Without any discussion, the two men took their positions. Unusual for a duel of this kind, the two fired about 4–5 seconds apart. Who fired first is not known today. Burr's bullet struck Hamilton and knocked him down. Then Burr promptly turned and left. The bullet went through Hamilton's ribs, and damaged his lungs and liver. Hamilton was taken to a friend's house in Manhattan where his wife and children joined him. He asked two ministers to give him Communion but was refused. Finally the Episcopal Bishop Benjamin Moore gave him the sacrament. Hamilton died the next morning.

Painting of Alexander Hamilton duelling with Aaron Burr

Reverse description

U.S. Treasury

The Department of the Treasury is an executive department and the treasury of the United States federal government. It was established by an Act of Congress in 1789 to manage government revenue. The Department is administered by the Secretary of the Treasury, who is a member of the Cabinet. On February 13, 2017, the Senate confirmed Steven Mnuchin as Secretary of the Treasury.

The first Secretary of the Treasury was Alexander Hamilton, who was sworn into office on September 11, 1789. Hamilton was asked by President George Washington to serve after first having asked Robert Morris (who declined, recommending Hamilton instead). Hamilton almost single-handedly worked out the nation's early financial system, and for several years was a major presence in Washington's administration as well. His portrait is on the obverse of the U.S. ten-dollar bill while the Treasury Department building is shown on the reverse.

Besides the Secretary, one of the best-known Treasury officials is the Treasurer of the United States whose signature, along with the Treasury Secretary's, appears on all Federal Reserve notes. The Treasury prints and mints all paper currency and coins in circulation through the Bureau of Engraving and Printing and the United States Mint. The Department also collects all federal taxes through the Internal Revenue Service, and manages U.S. government debt instruments.

Treasury Department official, surrounded by packages of newly minted currency, counting and wrapping dollar bills. Washington, D.C., 1907.

Basic Functions

The basic functions of the Department of the Treasury mainly include:

• Producing all currency and coinage of the U.S.
• Collecting taxes, duties and money paid to and due to the U.S.
• Paying all bills of the U.S.
• Managing the federal finances.
• Managing government accounts and the United States public debt.
• Supervising national banks and thrift institutions.
• Advising on domestic and international financial, monetary, economic, trade and tax policy (fiscal policy being the sum of these)
• Enforcing federal finance and tax laws.
• Investigating and prosecuting tax evaders.
• Publishing statistical reports.

Mission: 

The mission of the Department of the Treasury is to "maintain a strong economy and create economic and job opportunities by promoting the conditions that enable economic growth and stability at home and abroad, strengthen national security by combating threats and protecting the integrity of the financial system, and manage the U.S. Government’s finances and resources effectively".

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