We are living in “the Age of Hamilton,” sparked by the remarkable cultural event that is Lin-Manuel Miranda’s stage production Hamilton, closely based on Chernow’s magnificent biography.1 Brown now offers a thorough treatment of Hamilton’s contributions to “the development of American law.” Although she takes note of Hamilton’s abstract pronouncements in his essays as Publius in The Federalist, the real contribution of this valuable book comes from her attention to his important work as a practicing lawyer. He “practiced” first as President Washington’s Secretary of the Treasury; Brown presents fascinating depictions of the origins of American administrative law in the interactions between Hamilton and federal judges trying to limn the authority over interpretations of the nascent law of the state.
But Hamilton was also an immensely prominent lawyer in private practice following his exit from government. Specialists might already know that “[f]rom 1795 until he death in...