214 Years After His Death, Alexander Hamilton Is Finally Getting a Law Degree

Alexander Hamilton accomplished many great things. He was one of America's founding fathers. He was the nation's first treasury secretary. He was a lawyer. He even inspired an award-winning Broadway musical whose tickets are still among the hardest to score.

He seemed to have it all, except for one thing: a college degree. That will change on May 18, when Albany Law School in New York awards Hamilton an honorary law degree. His fifth great-grandson, Douglas Hamilton, will travel from his home in Columbus, Ohio, to accept the degree on his ancestor's behalf.

The announcement comes 214 years after Hamilton was killed in a duel with Vice President Aaron Burr.

Hamilton studied at King's College (now Columbia University) but never finished for one key reason: He dropped out and formed his own militia unit to fight in the Revolutionary War. In the chaos that ensued, the college shut its doors in 1776 and didn't reopen until eight years later.

Despite having no formal higher education, Hamilton later passed the bar exam. This is only one reason why Albany Law School's offer is symbolic, school officials say.

"Alexander Hamilton's ties to the Albany area are significant. Hamilton studied law and practiced law in Albany,” Alicia Ouellette, the school's president and dean, tells USA Today. "By conferring this degree, we are acknowledging his impact on the Capital Region and New York's legal community."

Hamilton came to Albany for the first time in 1777 on an important errand from George Washington. The general had asked Hamilton to persuade General Horatio Gates to send extra troops to defend the Philadelphia area during the war. Hamilton succeeded.

Two years later, Hamilton married Elizabeth Schuyler in her home city of Albany. And while traveling between Albany and New York City, he penned "Federalist No. 1"—the first installment of The Federalist Papers, which helped persuade the 13 states to vote in favor of ratifying the United States Constitution.

[h/t USA Today]