BEHIND THE NAME · HAMZ1000
Alexander Hamilton: building the foundations of finance
HAMZ1000 takes its name from Alexander Hamilton, the first U.S. Secretary of the Treasury. His efforts to establish public credit and financial institutions helped shape the young nation’s economic foundations.
A foundation for public credit
As Treasury Secretary, Hamilton championed federal assumption of state Revolutionary War debts and the creation of the First Bank of the United States, chartered in 1791.
A proposal for a national mint
His 1791 Report on the Establishment of a Mint proposed national coinage standards. Congress established the U.S. Mint the following year through the Coinage Act of 1792.
Beyond the Treasury
In 1801, Hamilton helped found the New-York Evening Post, the newspaper now known as the New York Post—another lasting part of his public legacy.