Who is on the Ten Dollar bill? Why does it Matter?

A 10-dollar bill is something that you must come across every single day of your life; whether you are picking up groceries or gorging on a Big Mac at McDonald’s. But, do you know whose portrait is featured on the denomination? No, it’s not George Washington, he is on a 1-dollar bill, and neither is it Benjamin Franklin, who is on the USD 100 bills.

Here’s a hint: the person on the bill is not a former President of the United States; can you guess now? Well, if you haven’t been able to come up with the right answer yet, then we will give you the answer.

Pat yourself on the back if one of your guesses was Alexander Hamilton. He is one of the only two men who is currently being featured on the US currency bills and was never the President of the US, the other one being Benjamin Franklin.

Who Was Alexander Hamilton?

Alexander Hamilton is one of the Founding Fathers and the first US Secretary of the Treasury. Hamilton helped found the US Mint, the first national bank in the US and a bureau which later went on to become the US coast guard. Among several other things, he was also a champion of the Constitution, author of the Federalists Papers and a member of the Continental Congress.

Hamilton was also intricately involved in the Cutter Service’s development that he wrote a naval communication guidebook which was in use till the latter half of the 20th century. Along with several private investors, he created the Society for the Establishment of Useful Manufactures and helped develop the nation’s one of the first industrial centers.

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The Bank of New York which he founded in the year 1784 is today the oldest continuous banking organization in America. In addition to that, Alexander also started a daily broadsheet, the New York Evening Post, which you know today as the New York Post, one of the most successful papers in the country.

When His Face Was Almost Removed

In 1928, all the paper notes in the US were being redesigned and a presidential commission recommended that the new currency must only feature a former US President. While all other names were removed from the currency, three exceptions, Benjamin Franklin, Salmon P. Chase and Alexander Hamilton, were made.

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More recently, the former Secretary of the Treasury, Jack Lew announced that he wanted to see the face of a woman on the new USD 10 bill, but his plans did not live too long. Many believe that it was the success of the Broadway show, Hamilton that showed the struggle of an immigrant from West Indies, helped keep Alexander’s face on the 10-dollar bill. It made the politician famous again 200 years after his sudden death.

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