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In 1790, Hamilton appointed [[Tench Coxe]] as Assistant to the Secretary of the Treasury.<ref>[http://founders.archives.gov/documents/Hamilton/01-06-02-0280 Appointment of Tench Coxe as Assistant to the Secretary of the Treasury, (10 May 1790)]</ref>
In 1790, Hamilton appointed [[Tench Coxe]] as Assistant to the Secretary of the Treasury.<ref>[http://founders.archives.gov/documents/Hamilton/01-06-02-0280 Appointment of Tench Coxe as Assistant to the Secretary of the Treasury, (10 May 1790)]</ref>
==The Hamilton-Reynolds Affair==
In the summer of 1797, Hamilton became the first major American politician publicly involved in an affair. Six years earlier, in the summer of 1791, 34-year-old Hamilton started an affair with 23-year-old Maria Reynolds; according to Hamilton's recount, Maria approached him at his house in Philadelphia, claiming that her husband, James Reynolds, had abandoned her and she wished to return to her relatives in New York but lacked the means. Hamilton retrieved her address and delivered her $30 personally at her boarding house where she led him into her bedroom. The two began an illicit affair that lasted approximately until June 1792.
Over the course of that year, James Reynolds was well aware of his wife's unfaithfulness. He continually supported their relationship in order to regularly gain blackmail money from Hamilton. The common practice in the day was for the wronged husband to seek retribution in a pistol duel, but Reynolds, realizing how much Hamilton had to lose if his activity came into public view, insisted on monetary compensation instead; after an initial request of $1,000 to which Hamilton complied, Reynolds invited Hamilton to renew his visits to his wife "as a friend" only to extort forced "loans" after each visit. In the end, the blackmail payments totaled over $1,300 (including the initial extortion). Hamilton, at this point, was probably aware of both Reynoldses' being involved in the blackmail, and welcomed, as well as strictly complied with, Reynolds' request to end the affair.
In November 1792, James Reynolds and his associate Jacob Clingman were arrested for counterfeiting and speculating in veteran back wages. Clingman was released on bail and relayed information to James Monroe that Reynolds had evidence that would incriminate Hamilton. Monroe consulted with Congressmen Muhlenberg and Venable on what actions to take and the Congressmen confronted Hamilton on December 15, 1792. Hamilton refuted the suspicions of speculation by exposing his affair with Maria and producing as evidence the letters by both Reynoldses, proving that his payments to James Reynolds related to blackmail over his adultery, and not to treasury misconduct. The trio were to keep the documents privately with the utmost confidence.
In the summer of 1797, however, when "notoriously scurrilous journalist" James T. Callender published ''A History of the United States for the Year 1796'', it contained accusations of James Reynolds being an agent of Hamilton, using documents from the confrontation of December 15, 1792. On July 5, 1797, Hamilton wrote to Monroe, Muhlenberg and Venable asking them to confirm that there was nothing that would damage the perception of his integrity while Secretary of Treasury. Muhlenberg and Venable complied with Hamilton's request but Monroe didn't, and after several rounds of argument, the two almost resorted to a duel. When Hamilton did not obtain an explicit response from Monroe, he published a 91-page pamphlet, later usually referred to as the [[The Reynolds Pamphlet|Reynolds Pamphlet]], in order to preserve his public reputation, discussing the affair in exquisite detail. His wife Elizabeth eventually forgave him.
==Federalist Party==
==Federalist Party==
Hamilton saw the need for political newspapers and subsidized numerous editors, most famously [[Noah Webster]]. In 1801, with $10,000 from investors, Hamilton started the ''[[New York Evening Post]]''.<ref>It is currently published by [[Rupert Murdoch]] under the name ''[[New York Post]]''.</ref>
Hamilton saw the need for political newspapers and subsidized numerous editors, most famously [[Noah Webster]]. In 1801, with $10,000 from investors, Hamilton started the ''[[New York Evening Post]]''.<ref>It is currently published by [[Rupert Murdoch]] under the name ''[[New York Post]]''.</ref>
==Adams and Jefferson administrations==
==Adams and Jefferson administrations==