Charles Hamilton, Jr. (December 24, 1913December 11, 1996) was an American
paleographer
Palaeography ( UK) or paleography ( US; ultimately from grc-gre, , ''palaiós'', "old", and , ''gráphein'', "to write") is the study of historic writing systems and the deciphering and dating of historical manuscripts, including the analysi ...
,
handwriting
Handwriting is the writing done with a writing instrument, such as a pen or pencil, in the hand. Handwriting includes both printing and cursive styles and is separate from formal calligraphy or typeface
A typeface (or font family) is ...
expert and author of historical works. He invented the term "philography" as another term for his profession. He is the author of a number of books on this topic. He was also an
autograph
An autograph is a person's own handwriting or signature. The word ''autograph'' comes from Ancient Greek (, ''autós'', "self" and , ''gráphō'', "write"), and can mean more specifically: Gove, Philip B. (ed.), 1981. ''Webster's Third New Inter ...
dealer. He died in
New York City
New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...
at the age of 82.
Early life and studies
Hamilton was born in
Ludington, Michigan
Ludington ( ) is the largest city and county seat of Mason County in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 8,076.
Ludington is a harbor town located on Lake Michigan at the mouth of the Pere Marquette Rive ...
and grew up in
Flint, Michigan
Flint is the largest city and seat of Genesee County, Michigan, United States. Located along the Flint River, northwest of Detroit, it is a principal city within the region known as Mid Michigan. At the 2020 census, Flint had a population of 8 ...
, and then in
Los Angeles
Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...
. His father was in the lumber business. At the age of twelve he collected his first autograph, which was
Rudyard Kipling
Joseph Rudyard Kipling ( ; 30 December 1865 – 18 January 1936)''The Times'', (London) 18 January 1936, p. 12. was an English novelist, short-story writer, poet, and journalist. He was born in British India, which inspired much of his work.
...
's. Kipling was well known for refusing requests for autographs, but Hamilton, who had just read ''
The Jungle Book
''The Jungle Book'' (1894) is a collection of stories by the English author Rudyard Kipling. Most of the characters are animals such as Shere Khan the tiger and Baloo the bear, though a principal character is the boy or "man-cub" Mowgli, ...
'', included a
dime for the return postage, and told Kipling that the dime was Hamilton's allowance for carrying out ashes from the furnace. He graduated from
Beverly Hills High School
Beverly Hills High School (usually abbreviated as Beverly or as BHHS) is the only major public high school in Beverly Hills, California. The other public high school in Beverly Hills, Moreno High School, is a small alternative school located on B ...
, as the
valedictorian
Valedictorian is an academic title for the highest-performing student of a graduating class of an academic institution.
The valedictorian is commonly determined by a numerical formula, generally an academic institution's grade point average (GPA ...
of his class. He then received a bachelor's degree and a master's degree in English literature from the
University of Southern California
The University of Southern California (USC, SC, or Southern Cal) is a Private university, private research university in Los Angeles, California, United States. Founded in 1880 by Robert M. Widney, it is the oldest private research university in C ...
in Los Angeles. He was a voracious reader of literature and history.
Career and military
In the 1930s he moved to New York City to work in publishing. He enlisted in the
United States Army Air Corps
The United States Army Air Corps (USAAC) was the aerial warfare service component of the United States Army between 1926 and 1941. After World War I, as early aviation became an increasingly important part of modern warfare, a philosophical r ...
in 1942, and during
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
, he won a
bronze star
The Bronze Star Medal (BSM) is a United States Armed Forces decoration awarded to members of the United States Armed Forces for either heroic achievement, heroic service, meritorious achievement, or meritorious service in a combat zone.
Wh ...
and six
battle stars
A service star is a miniature bronze or silver five-pointed star inch (4.8 mm) in diameter that is authorized to be worn by members of the eight uniformed services of the United States on medals and ribbons to denote an additional award or ser ...
. In 1945, after his service, he returned to New York City and began seriously dealing in autographs and manuscripts. He was called upon by the New York City police to consult in a number of notable cases, including the hunt for the
Zodiac Killer
The Zodiac Killer is the pseudonym of an unidentified serial killer who operated in Northern California in the late 1960s. The case has been described as the most famous unsolved murder case in American history. It became a fixture of popular c ...
. In a notable case, he called the so-called
Hitler Diaries
The Hitler Diaries (german: Hitler-Tagebücher) were a series of sixty volumes of journals purportedly written by Adolf Hitler, but forged by Konrad Kujau between 1981 and 1983. The diaries were purchased in 1983 for 9.3 million Deutsche ...
"patent and obvious forgeries". The British historian who was claiming them to be authentic eventually changed his mind and sided with Hamilton; the forger was unmasked and convicted in 1983.
He dealt with a great many historic documents. He once owned a note that
Queen Isabella wrote regarding the jewels she sold to pay for
Christopher Columbus
Christopher Columbus
* lij, Cristoffa C(or)ombo
* es, link=no, Cristóbal Colón
* pt, Cristóvão Colombo
* ca, Cristòfor (or )
* la, Christophorus Columbus. (; born between 25 August and 31 October 1451, died 20 May 1506) was a ...
' discovery of the New World. He owned the first draft of the
Bill of Rights
A bill of rights, sometimes called a declaration of rights or a charter of rights, is a list of the most important rights to the citizens of a country. The purpose is to protect those rights against infringement from public officials and pri ...
, and a letter written by
Jesse James
Jesse Woodson James (September 5, 1847April 3, 1882) was an American outlaw, bank and train robber, guerrilla and leader of the James–Younger Gang. Raised in the " Little Dixie" area of Western Missouri, James and his family maintained stro ...
but signed with his pseudonym, Thomas Howard. He owned another letter penned by
Queen Victoria
Victoria (Alexandrina Victoria; 24 May 1819 – 22 January 1901) was Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837 until Death and state funeral of Queen Victoria, her death in 1901. Her reign of 63 years and 21 ...
with advice for an unwed mother: "Let her wear a ring and no one need be the wiser". He is also credited with resolving a great number of questions regarding frauds and forgeries.
Methods
In his book, ''In Search of Shakespeare; A Reconnaissance into the Poet’s Life and Handwriting'', Hamilton describes what is needed to be a professional handwriting expert: Knowledge of history and literature; as well as in watermarks, ink and paper; and above all in the handwriting of noted persons in all areas; as well as the ability to read difficult scripts, to accurately judge the authenticity of documents, and to recognize forgeries. According to Hamilton, accuracy is essential because a professional handwriting expert's opinions will often be tested in a court of law. Talent, Hamilton states, may be partly instinct, but it will also be the "result of decades of daily experience in the examination of old handwriting".
[Hamilton, Charles. ''In Search of Shakespeare; A Reconnaissance into the Poet's Life and Handwriting''. Harcourt Brace Jovanovich. (1985) ]
Shakespeare
He is noted for his work in studying the handwriting and documents regarding
William Shakespeare
William Shakespeare ( 26 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's nation ...
. In his book, ''In Search of Shakespeare; A Reconnaissance into the Poet’s Life and Handwriting'', he considers that
Shakespeare's will
William Shakespeare's last will and testament was signed on 25 March 1616, just under a month before his death. The document has been studied for details of his personal life, for his opinions, and for his attitudes towards his two daughters, Su ...
was written in the playwright's own handwriting or "
holographic
Holography is a technique that enables a wavefront to be recorded and later re-constructed. Holography is best known as a method of generating real three-dimensional images, but it also has a wide range of other Holography#Applications, applic ...
". He also considers the handwritten evidence that three pages inserted into the play ''
Sir Thomas More
Sir Thomas More (7 February 1478 – 6 July 1535), venerated in the Catholic Church as Saint Thomas More, was an English lawyer, judge, social philosopher, author, statesman, and noted Renaissance humanist. He also served Henry VIII as Lord ...
'', and the drafts of the applications for the Shakespeare coat-of-arms are also in Shakespeare's handwriting. Hamilton presents charts and examples that compare the handwriting in each document.
Hamilton has said that in his Shakespeare studies his essays and ideas all begin with his observations of handwriting.
He has drawn some interest, and also has his critics.
Gary Taylor has said that Hamilton is a considerable paleographer, but some of his views on Shakespeare are controversial and "too recent to have been subjected to thorough scholarly scrutiny."
Hofmann forgery
In 1983, Hamilton certified as genuine a letter purportedly by
Joseph Smith
Joseph Smith Jr. (December 23, 1805June 27, 1844) was an American religious leader and founder of Mormonism and the Latter Day Saint movement. When he was 24, Smith published the Book of Mormon. By the time of his death, 14 years later, he ...
that was forged by
Mark Hofmann
Mark William Hofmann (born December 7, 1954) is an American counterfeiter, forger, and convicted murderer. Widely regarded as one of the most accomplished forgers in history, Hofmann is especially noted for his creation of documents related to ...
and sold to
Gordon B. Hinckley
Gordon Bitner Hinckley (June 23, 1910 – January 27, 2008) was an American religious leader and author who served as the 15th President of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) from March 1995 until his death in January 200 ...
, a member of the First Presidency of
the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, informally known as the LDS Church or Mormon Church, is a Nontrinitarianism, nontrinitarian Christianity, Christian church that considers itself to be the Restorationism, restoration of the ...
.
Books
Among his 17 published books are:
* ''Collecting Autographs and Manuscripts'' (1962)
* ''The Signature of America: A Fresh Look at Famous Handwriting'' (1979)
* ''Great Forgers and Famous Fakes'' (1980)
* ''American Autographs'' (1983)
*
* ''The Hitler Diaries: Fakes That Fooled the World'' (1991)
* ''In Search of Shakespeare; A Reconnaissance into the Poet’s Life and Handwriting'' (1991)
*
* ''Leaders & Personalities of the Third Reich, Vol. 2'' (1996), R. James Bender Publishing.
*
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hamilton, Charles
1913 births
1996 deaths
American palaeographers
American philologists
University of Southern California alumni
20th-century philologists