Edward Stevens (diplomat)
Dr Edward Stevens
Early life
Stevens was born in Antigua on February 21, 1754.[1] Stevens's father, a Scottish merchant named Thomas Stevens who was the landlord of Rachel Fawcette, Hamilton's mother,[4] would later become the adoptive father of the orphaned Alexander Hamilton.[5] Stevens was one of five children. He quickly became good friends with his adopted brother Hamilton, displaying many similar mannerisms. Both were interested in classics, spoke French fluently, opposed slavery, were interested in medicine, and were considered clever.[6]
Contemporaries would often remark that Edward Stevens and Hamilton looked very much alike. Secretary of State Timothy Pickering, who knew both men in adulthood, noted that the men were strikingly similar in appearance and concluded that they must be biological brothers. Hamilton biographer Ron Chernow says many aspects of Hamilton's biography make more sense given Stevens's paternity. It would explain why Hamilton was adopted into the Stevens family while his older brother, James, apparently was not. It may have also been a factor in Hamilton's acknowledged father abandoning his family.[7] However, this speculation, mostly based on Pickering's comments on the resemblance between the two men, has always been vague and unsupported.[8] Rachel Faucette had been living on St. Kitts and Nevis for years at the time when Alexander was conceived, while Thomas Stevens lived on Antigua and St. Croix and James Hamilton Sr never disavowed his paternity, signing his letters to Alexander even in later years ”your very affectionate Father”.[9][10] Moreover, William Cissel historian and N.P.S. Christiansted Historic Site Director did find possible evidence that Thomas Stevens did initially take both Hamilton boys in, not just Alexander, as in 1769 the registers read that the household had two “white male servants” that hadn't been listed before. By the 1772 register the “white male servants” are gone: Hamilton may have been upgraded and James Jr., who was by then 19 years old, had gone to live elsewhere.[11][12]
Stevens graduated from
Career
On January 20, 1776, Stevens was admitted to the university's Royal Medical Society. He served as the Society's president for the academic year 1779/1780. Stevens conducted experimental inquiry into the color of blood and received a prize for his work. Stevens remained in Edinburgh until 1783 and was one of the joint founders of the Royal Society of Edinburgh in that year.[14]
Stevens returned to St. Croix in 1783.
Stevens served as the United States
In 1802 botanist
Later life
Little is known of Stevens's last years. For two and a half months in 1809-10, during the British occupation of the Danish West Indies, Stevens served as President of St. Croix.[24] He corresponded with David Hosack, including a letter introducing his son in 1823.[13]
References
- ^ a b Newton, Michael E. (5 November 2018). "The Birthday of Edward Stevens, Alexander Hamilton's "Dear" Friend". DiscoveringHamilton.com.
- ^ Caroe, Kristian (1905). Den danske lægestand, 1479-1900. Copenhagen: Gyldendalske Boghandel. p. 120.
- ^ "Den danske lægestand, 1479-1900". Archive.org. 1905.
- ^ Chernow 2004, p. 27.
- ^ Kennedy 2000, p. 39.
- ^ Chernow 2004, p. 27.
- ^ Chernow 2004, pp. 27–28.
- ^ Henry Cabot Lodge, Alexander Hamilton, 1882, appendix
- ^ Michael Newton, Alexander Hamilton: The Formative Years, 2015, pp 30-32
- ^ Hamilton Sr, James. "Letter from James Hamilton Sr to Alexander Hamilton, 12 June 1793". Founders Online.
- ^ William Cissel. "The West Indian Founding Father, 2004" (PDF).
- ^ William Cissel. "Alexander Hamilton: Myth, Legend and Reality, 2007" (PDF).
- ^ a b c d e f CDSB 2008.
- ISBN 0-902-198-84-X. Archived from the original(PDF) on 2016-03-04. Retrieved 2018-08-25.
- ^ Chernow 2004, pp. 209–210.
- ^ a b Johnson 2014, p. 72.
- ^ Johnson 2014, p. 76.
- ^ Bender 2006, p. 108.
- ^ a b Girard 2009, p. 100.
- ^ Treudley 1916, p. 134.
- ^ Treudley 1916, p. 135-137.
- ^ Treudley 1916, p. 136.
- ^ "Stevensia Poit. | Plants of the World Online | Kew Science". Plants of the World Online. Retrieved 19 May 2021.
- ^ Newton, Michael (2018-11-12). "Edward Stevens: President of St. Croix - Discovering Hamilton". Discovering Hamilton. Retrieved 2018-11-12.
Sources
- Bender, Thomas (2006). A nation among nations : America's place in world history. New York: Hill and Wang. ISBN 9780809072354.
- Chernow, Ron (2004). Alexander Hamilton. New York, NY: Penguin Books. ISBN 978-1-59420-009-0.
- Girard, P. R. (2009). "Black Talleyrand: Toussaint Louverture's Diplomacy, 1798–1802". The William and Mary Quarterly. 66 (1): 87–124. JSTOR 40212042.
- Kennedy, Roger G. (2000). Burr, Hamilton, and Jefferson: A Study in Character. Oxford University Press. ISBN 9780199923793.
- Johnson, Ronald (2014). Diplomacy in Black and White : John Adams, Toussaint Louverture, and Their Atlantic World Alliance. Athens London: The University of Georgia Press. ISBN 978-0820342122.
- "Stevens, Edward". Complete Dictionary of Scientific Biography. Charles Scribner's Sons. 2008.
- Treudley, Mary (1916). "The United States and Santo Domingo, 1789–1866". The Journal of Race Development. 7 (1): 83–145. JSTOR 29738186.