The Burr-Hamilton duel was a duel between two prominent American politicians - Aaron Burr, the sitting Vice President of the United States, and Alexander Hamilton, the former Secretary of the Treasury - at Weehawken, New Jersey on July 11, 1804. Hamilton and Burr agreed to take the duel to Weehawken because, although dueling had been prohibited in both states, New York more aggressively prosecuted the crime (the same site was used for 18 known duels between 1700 and 1845). The duel was the culmination of a long and bitter rivalry between the two men. Burr shot and mortally wounded Hamilton, who was carried to the home of William Bayard on the Manhattan shore, where he died the next day. Burr was never tried for the illegal duel, and all charges against him were eventually dropped, but Hamilton's death ended Burr's political career.