Alexander Hamilton's Very Modern 18th Century Sex Scandal
For a sense of perspective on the political sex scandal's place in American history, consider Alexander Hamilton.Hamilton probably had the first modern sex scandal with a woman named Maria Reynolds. That's because Maria and her husband were using the media to blackmail Hamilton.
Hamilton came across Maria Reynolds in Philadelphia in 1791 when she was 23 and he was 34, and he took pity on her after she said she and her daughter were abandoned by her no-good husband. Later that evening, Hamilton brought Reynolds some money and one thing led to another, and Hamilton found himself cheating on his wife, Elizabeth.
Well wouldn't you know it, Maria and her no-good husband, James, had set up Hamilton. And instead of challenging the known duelist to a duel, which was standard protocol for wronged husbands at the time, James Reynolds saw a much juicier opportunity.
Maria Reynolds as depicted by PBS.Reynolds threatened to go to the press with with the story of Hamilton's infidelity if he didn't cough up some cash.
The weird part is that Hamilton kept seeing Maria for two years, ultimately paying around $1,000 to her husband in blackmail money. A few years later, Hamilton admitted the affair publicly to prove he was not part of another scandal. At some point along the way, Maria divorced James Reynolds. Her representation? None other than Aaron Burr, the man who killed Hamilton in their famous duel in 1804.
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