I was born March 24, 1755 in Scarborough, Massachusetts. My father, John Alsop, is a former New York delegate to the Continental Congress. My family has always been quite affluent due to my father’s success as a merchant. After finishing my elementary education at the age of 12, my father sent me to Dummer Academy, a boarding school in South Byfield, Massachusetts. I later started college at Harvard in 1773 when only two years later my education was interrupted when our facilities were allocated to house soldiers during the Revolutionary War. Later, I was able to complete my formal education in 1777, with a focus in law. I started my practice directly after being admitted to the bar in 1780. For a short period of time I served as the general’s