The scandalous love affair between Alexander Hamilton and Maria Reynolds, took place in the late seventeen hundreds, causing a large scandal during Hamilton’s time in Treasury. The affair began as a meaningless favor in which Mrs. Reynolds needed from Hamilton but soon bloomed into an unexpected love affair. Although; affairs were common in this time period, this particular one had events that took quite a few by surprise. Maria Reynolds, who was “born Mary Lewis in Dutchess County, New York, married James Reynolds” (Chernow 366), had recently been “deserted for another woman, leaving her destitute and with a five year old child; she had come to Hamilton, as a fellow New Yorker, to ask for help in the form of funds with which to return to her family” (McDonald 228). It was common for many in the time period to go search for help from Hamilton, as he had a “reputation for benevolence and Humanity to the distress’d” (McDonald 228). When Mrs. Reynolds called upon Hamilton for help, he used his wit and charm to receive her address, telling her “if she would give him her address he would either send or bring a small supply of money” (McDonald 228). When he arrived to the address he was given, Hamilton stated: I Inquired for…show more content… But you must not precipitate it. I am so anxious for a perfect restoration of your health that I am willing to make a great sacrifice for it. Again, I cannot be happy without you. Yet I must not advise you to urge your return. (McDonald 229)
Hamilton used his slyness to hide his affair behind his words to his wife, assuring her that he would love for her to return but to take all the time she needed. During this time Hamilton would take advantage of the time she did take and use it towards his affair with Mrs. Reynolds. Ultimately, what was at stake was that Hamilton could possibly end up losing the one in which he loved and the one in which he had quickly fallen into lust
