For the next two decades, Hamilton was involved in real estate and stocks but not to the level he would eventually come to master. It wasn’t until the 1860’s that Hamilton began to hold sway over Wall Street. He ran a makeshift hedge fund and made aggressive and high-risk moves that paid off more often than not. Because of Hamilton’s success on the market, he was able to command the money from white investors and even had them doing his bidding.
According to some accounts, Hamilton didn’t associate himself with the powerful Black elite in New York as he didn’t want anything to do with them. He took a white wife which angered both sides and for that reason he received constant threats of lynching and other racist acts. Hamilton survived multiple attempts on his life and even used his wife to persuade his would-be killers to leave him be.
At the time of Hamilton’s death in 1875, he was worth $2 million, which compared to today’s value would be worth around $250 million.
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Little Known Black History Fact: Jeremiah G. Hamilton was originally published on blackamericaweb.com
