Lord George Hamilton
Encyclopedia
Lord George Francis Hamilton GCSI
, PC, JP (17 December 1845 – 22 September 1927) was a British Conservative Party
politician of the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
and Lady Louisa
, daughter of John Russell, 6th Duke of Bedford
, and was educated at Harrow
. He served with the Rifle Brigade and Coldstream Guards
, achieving the rank of lieutenant.
for Middlesex
between 1868 and 1885 and for Ealing
between 1885 and 1906. He served under Benjamin Disraeli as Under-Secretary of State for India
from 1874 to 1878 and as Vice-President of the Committee on Education from 1878 to 1880 and was sworn of the Privy Council in 1878. He entered the cabinet as First Lord of the Admiralty under Lord Salisbury
in 1885, a post he held until 1886 and again between 1886 and 1892. In 1894 he was elected as Chairman of the London School Board
, standing down after one year when the Unionists won the general election and he became Secretary of State for India
under Salisbury, which he remained until 1903, the last year under the premiership of Arthur Balfour
. In 1903 he was appointed a GCSI
. In 1916 he was part of the Mesopotamia Commission of Inquiry
.
(UERL) which ran the majority of London's Underground lines. He served as the company's chairman between 1915 and 1919, following the resignation of Sir Edgar Speyer
in 1915.
Hamilton also held the honorary posts of Captain of Deal Castle (1899-1923) and Major of Deal
(1909) and received the degree of honorary LLD from Glasgow University and of honorary DCL
from Oxford University. He was also a Justice of Peace for Middlesex and Westminster.
He was also President of the Royal Statistical Society
from 1910 to 1912 and from 1915 to 1916.
, in 1871. They had three sons:
Hamilton died in September 1927, aged 81. His wife survived him by eleven years and died in April 1938.
Order of the Star of India
The Most Exalted Order of the Star of India is an order of chivalry founded by Queen Victoria in 1861. The Order includes members of three classes:# Knight Grand Commander # Knight Commander # Companion...
, PC, JP (17 December 1845 – 22 September 1927) was a British Conservative Party
Conservative Party (UK)
The Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House...
politician of the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
Background
Hamilton was the third son of James Hamilton, 1st Duke of AbercornJames Hamilton, 1st Duke of Abercorn
James Hamilton, 1st Duke of Abercorn KG PC , styled Viscount Hamilton from 1814 to 1818 and the Marquess of Abercorn from 1818 to 1868, was a British Conservative politician and statesman who twice served as Lord Lieutenant of Ireland.In 1860, The Times noted that Hamilton was one of only three to...
and Lady Louisa
Louisa Hamilton, Duchess of Abercorn
Lady Louisa Jane Russell was the wife of James Hamilton, 1st Duke of Abercorn, and the daughter of John Russell, 6th Duke of Bedford, by his second wife Lady Georgiana Gordon...
, daughter of John Russell, 6th Duke of Bedford
John Russell, 6th Duke of Bedford
John Russell, 6th Duke of Bedford KG, PC, LLD, FSA , known as Lord John Russell until 1802, was a British Whig politician and notably served as Lord Lieutenant of Ireland in the Ministry of All the Talents...
, and was educated at Harrow
Harrow School
Harrow School, commonly known simply as "Harrow", is an English independent school for boys situated in the town of Harrow, in north-west London.. The school is of worldwide renown. There is some evidence that there has been a school on the site since 1243 but the Harrow School we know today was...
. He served with the Rifle Brigade and Coldstream Guards
Coldstream Guards
Her Majesty's Coldstream Regiment of Foot Guards, also known officially as the Coldstream Guards , is a regiment of the British Army, part of the Guards Division or Household Division....
, achieving the rank of lieutenant.
Political career
Hamilton was Member of ParliamentMember of Parliament
A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
for Middlesex
Middlesex (UK Parliament constituency)
Middlesex is a former United Kingdom Parliamentary constituency. It was a constituency of the House of Commons of the Parliament of England then of the Parliament of Great Britain from 1707 to 1800 and of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1801 to 1885....
between 1868 and 1885 and for Ealing
Ealing (UK Parliament constituency)
Ealing was a parliamentary constituency centred on the Ealing district of west London. It returned one Member of Parliament to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, elected by the first past the post system.-History:...
between 1885 and 1906. He served under Benjamin Disraeli as Under-Secretary of State for India
Under-Secretary of State for India
This is a list of Parliamentary Under-Secretaries of State and Permanent Under-Secretaries of State at the India Office during the period of British rule between 1866 and 1948, and for Burma from 1858-1948....
from 1874 to 1878 and as Vice-President of the Committee on Education from 1878 to 1880 and was sworn of the Privy Council in 1878. He entered the cabinet as First Lord of the Admiralty under Lord Salisbury
Robert Gascoyne-Cecil, 3rd Marquess of Salisbury
Robert Arthur Talbot Gascoyne-Cecil, 3rd Marquess of Salisbury, KG, GCVO, PC , styled Lord Robert Cecil before 1865 and Viscount Cranborne from June 1865 until April 1868, was a British Conservative statesman and thrice Prime Minister, serving for a total of over 13 years...
in 1885, a post he held until 1886 and again between 1886 and 1892. In 1894 he was elected as Chairman of the London School Board
London School Board
The School Board for London was an institution of local government and the first directly elected body covering the whole of London....
, standing down after one year when the Unionists won the general election and he became Secretary of State for India
Secretary of State for India
The Secretary of State for India, or India Secretary, was the British Cabinet minister responsible for the government of India and the political head of the India Office...
under Salisbury, which he remained until 1903, the last year under the premiership of Arthur Balfour
Arthur Balfour
Arthur James Balfour, 1st Earl of Balfour, KG, OM, PC, DL was a British Conservative politician and statesman...
. In 1903 he was appointed a GCSI
Order of the Star of India
The Most Exalted Order of the Star of India is an order of chivalry founded by Queen Victoria in 1861. The Order includes members of three classes:# Knight Grand Commander # Knight Commander # Companion...
. In 1916 he was part of the Mesopotamia Commission of Inquiry
Special Commissions (Dardanelles and Mesopotamia) Act 1916
The Special Commissions Act 1916 was set up to investigate the World War I operations in the Dardanelles Campaign and the Mesopotamian campaign....
.
Other public appointments
For a number of years, Hamilton was a member of the board of the Underground Electric Railways Company of LondonUnderground Electric Railways Company of London
The Underground Electric Railways Company of London Limited , known operationally as The Underground for much of its existence, was established in 1902. It was the holding company for the three deep-level "tube"A "tube" railway is an underground railway constructed in a circular tunnel by the use...
(UERL) which ran the majority of London's Underground lines. He served as the company's chairman between 1915 and 1919, following the resignation of Sir Edgar Speyer
Edgar Speyer
Sir Edgar Speyer, 1st Baronet was an American-born financier and philanthropist. He became a British subject in 1892 and was chairman of Speyer Brothers, the British branch of his family's international finance house, and a partner in the German and American branches...
in 1915.
Hamilton also held the honorary posts of Captain of Deal Castle (1899-1923) and Major of Deal
Deal, Kent
Deal is a town in Kent England. It lies on the English Channel eight miles north-east of Dover and eight miles south of Ramsgate. It is a former fishing, mining and garrison town...
(1909) and received the degree of honorary LLD from Glasgow University and of honorary DCL
Doctor of Civil Law
Doctor of Civil Law is a degree offered by some universities, such as the University of Oxford, instead of the more common Doctor of Laws degrees....
from Oxford University. He was also a Justice of Peace for Middlesex and Westminster.
He was also President of the Royal Statistical Society
President of the Royal Statistical Society
The President of the Royal Statistical Society is the head of the Royal Statistical Society , elected biannually by the Fellows of the Society. ....
from 1910 to 1912 and from 1915 to 1916.
Family and children
Hamilton married Lady Maud Caroline, daughter of Henry Lascelles, 3rd Earl of HarewoodHenry Lascelles, 3rd Earl of Harewood
Henry Lascelles, 3rd Earl of Harewood DL , known as Viscount Lascelles from 1839 to 1841, was a British peer and Member of Parliament....
, in 1871. They had three sons:
- Ronald James Hamilton OBEOrder of the British EmpireThe Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...
(1872–1958), who fought in the First World War, was wounded and in 1919 invested an OBE. He was awarded with the decoration of the Order of the Crown (Belgium)Order of the Crown (Belgium)The Order of the Crown is an Order of Belgium which was created on 15 October 1897 by King Leopold II in his capacity as ruler of the Congo Free State. The order was first intended to recognize heroic deeds and distinguished service achieved from service in the Congo Free State - many of which acts...
. He served as First Secretary in the Diplomatic ServiceDiplomatic serviceDiplomatic service is the body of diplomats and foreign policy officers maintained by the government of a country to communicate with the governments of other countries. Diplomatic personnel enjoy diplomatic immunity when they are accredited to other countries...
. In 1915 he married Florence Marguerite (Sarah Brooke) Hanna (d. 1959). They had one daughter:- Maud Sarah Hamilton (1917–1995). In 1939 she married Squadron Leader Count Manfred Maria Edmund Ralph Beckett Czernin von und zu ChudenitzCzernin, Count Manfred BeckettManfred Beckett Czernin was a World War II Royal Air Force Pilot and later in the war was an operative with the Special Operations Executive.-Early Life:...
, DFCDistinguished Flying Cross (United Kingdom)The Distinguished Flying Cross is a military decoration awarded to personnel of the United Kingdom's Royal Air Force and other services, and formerly to officers of other Commonwealth countries, for "an act or acts of valour, courage or devotion to duty whilst flying in active operations against...
, DSODistinguished Service OrderThe Distinguished Service Order is a military decoration of the United Kingdom, and formerly of other parts of the British Commonwealth and Empire, awarded for meritorious or distinguished service by officers of the armed forces during wartime, typically in actual combat.Instituted on 6 September...
, MCMilitary CrossThe Military Cross is the third-level military decoration awarded to officers and other ranks of the British Armed Forces; and formerly also to officers of other Commonwealth countries....
, RAFRoyal Air ForceThe Royal Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Formed on 1 April 1918, it is the oldest independent air force in the world...
(1913–1962). With him she had one son and one daughter.
- Maud Sarah Hamilton (1917–1995). In 1939 she married Squadron Leader Count Manfred Maria Edmund Ralph Beckett Czernin von und zu Chudenitz
- Major Anthony George Hamilton (1874–1936), who fought in the First World War and gained the rank of Major in the service of the East Kent Regiment. He died unmarried and without issue.
- Vice-Admiral Robert Cecil Hamilton (1882–1947), who fought in the First World War. In 1911 he married Edith Maud Paley (d. 1967), daughter of the barrister Algernon Herbert Paley.
Hamilton died in September 1927, aged 81. His wife survived him by eleven years and died in April 1938.