Alexander Hamilton (1757–1804)

Alexander Hamilton (1757–1804), an American statesman and economic theorist, was one of the most influential figures in American tariff history. Hamilton's calls for a protective tariff to encourage American "infant industries" as a means of strengthening the American Union continued to resonate into the 19th century, as a central pillar of national commercial policies devised by emergent European nations.

E. Prud'homme, Alexander Hamilton (1757–1804), engraving, 1835, after a miniature by Archibald Robertson (1765–1835); source: Library of Congress, LC-USZ62-48272, http://www.loc.gov/pictures/item/2004672093/, public domain.