Alexander Hamilton signature

Founding father and first Secretary of the Treasury (1755 or 1757–1804)

Inspired by Alexander Hamilton’s signature

A rendering in a modern handwriting font, made for this page. It is not the real signature; see where to view the original below. Where to see the original ↓Style: Alex Brush, slant 10°

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Who Alexander Hamilton was

Alexander Hamilton was born on the Caribbean island of Nevis in 1755 or 1757 (the records disagree) and came to New York as a teenager. He served as an aide to George Washington during the Revolution, wrote most of the Federalist essays, and as the first Secretary of the Treasury built the financial system of the new nation. He died in 1804 after a duel with Aaron Burr.

The story of the signature

Hamilton is the only signer of the Constitution from New York. The state’s other two delegates, Robert Yates and John Lansing Jr., had left the Convention in protest, so in September 1787 Hamilton signed alone for his state.

In his letters he often signed “A Hamilton”, an initial and his surname, a form that runs through his correspondence. On formal documents he wrote his name in full.

His most influential writing went out under another name. The Federalist essays of 1787–1788, written with James Madison and John Jay to argue for the Constitution, were signed “Publius”.

What makes it distinctive

Initial and surname

“A Hamilton”, often without a full stop after the initial, for everyday correspondence.

A fluent clerk’s hand

As a teenager he worked as a clerk for a trading firm on St. Croix, and his writing has the fluency of someone who wrote business papers from an early age.

Two registers

A short form for letters and the full name for formal documents, a sensible habit that is still useful today.

How to give your signature a similar feel

Try the “A Hamilton” format with your own name: first initial and surname, typed on the Type tab of the signature generator.
Alex Brush gives brush-like contrast between thick and thin strokes; set Slant around 10° for an eighteenth-century lean.
Make a formal version too: write your full name in the same font, the way Hamilton switched between short and full forms.
Sign a few versions on the Draw tab and download the most fluent one as a transparent PNG.

Where to see the original

These links lead to archives, libraries, museums and Wikimedia Commons.

Questions about Alexander Hamilton’s signature

Did Alexander Hamilton sign the Declaration of Independence?

No. In 1776 he was a young artillery officer, not a member of Congress. He did sign the Constitution in 1787.

Why is Hamilton the only New York signer of the Constitution?

New York’s other delegates, Robert Yates and John Lansing Jr., had left the Convention because they opposed its direction, so Hamilton signed alone.

What name did Hamilton use for the Federalist Papers?

“Publius”, a pen name he shared with James Madison and John Jay.