Presenter of
the National Book Awards
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Presenter of
the National Book Awards
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Victoria Johnson, a former Cullman Fellow, is currently an associate professor of urban policy and planning at Hunter College in New York City, where she teaches on the history of New York City. More about this author >
Filed in the following archives
On a clear morning in July 1804, Alexander Hamilton stepped onto a boat at the edge of the Hudson River. He was bound for a New Jersey dueling ground to settle his bitter dispute with Aaron Burr. Hamilton took just two men with him: his “second” for the duel, and Dr. David Hosack.
As historian Victoria Johnson reveals in her groundbreaking biography, Hosack was one of the few points the duelists did agree on. Summoned that morning because of his role as the beloved Hamilton family doctor, he was also a close friend of Burr. A brilliant surgeon and a world-class botanist, Hosack—who until now has been lost in the fog of history—was a pioneering thinker who shaped a young nation.
Victoria Johnson, Nonfiction Finalist, reads from "American Eden" at 2018 National Book Awards Finalists Reading
