Sir Edward Walter Hamilton, (7 July 1847 – 2 September 1908HAMILTON, Sir Edward Walter’, Who Was Who, A & C Black, 1920–2008; online edn, Oxford University Press, Dec 2007), also known as Eddy Hamilton, was a British political

diarist A diary is a written or audiovisual record with discrete entries arranged by date reporting on what has happened over the course of a day or other period. Diaries have traditionally been handwritten but are now also often digital. A personal ...

and Joint

Permanent Secretary to the Treasury The UK Permanent Secretary to the Treasury is the most senior civil servant at HM Treasury. The post originated as that of Assistant Secretary to the Treasury in 1805; that office was given new duties and renamed in 1867 as a Permanent Secretaryship ...

Biography

Hamilton was the eldest son of

Walter Kerr Hamilton Walter Kerr Hamilton (16 November 1808 – 1 August 1869) was a Church of England priest, Bishop of Salisbury from 1854 until his death. Life He was born in 1808, educated at Eton College, tutored by Thomas Arnold, and then attended Christ Chur ...

(1808–1869), Bishop of Salisbury, and was educated at

Eton Eton most commonly refers to Eton College, a public school in Eton, Berkshire, England. Eton may also refer to: Places *Eton, Berkshire, a town in Berkshire, England * Eton, Georgia, a town in the United States * Éton, a commune in the Meuse dep ...

from 1860 to 1865. He matriculated at

Christ Church, Oxford Christ Church ( la, Ædes Christi, the temple or house, '' ædēs'', of Christ, and thus sometimes known as "The House") is a constituent college of the University of Oxford in England. Founded in 1546 by King Henry VIII, the college is uniqu ...

on 20 January 1866, where he took a Class III in Classical Moderations (Greek and Latin), and received a

B.Mus. Bachelor of Music (BM or BMus) is an academic degree awarded by a college, university, or music school, conservatory upon completion of a program of study in music. In the United States, it is a professional degree, and the majority of work consi ...

in 1867. He entered the

Treasury A treasury is either *A government department related to finance and taxation, a finance ministry. *A place or location where treasure, such as currency or precious items are kept. These can be state or royal property, church treasure or in p ...

in 1870, and was private secretary to the

Chancellor of the Exchequer The chancellor of the Exchequer, often abbreviated to chancellor, is a senior minister of the Crown within the Government of the United Kingdom, and head of His Majesty's Treasury. As one of the four Great Offices of State, the Chancellor is ...

Robert Lowe Robert Lowe, 1st Viscount Sherbrooke, GCB, PC (4 December 1811 – 27 July 1892), British statesman, was a pivotal conservative spokesman who helped shape British politics in the latter half of the 19th century. He held office under William E ...

, 1872-73. In that year he was appointed private secretary to

William Ewart Gladstone William Ewart Gladstone ( ; 29 December 1809 – 19 May 1898) was a British statesman and Liberal politician. In a career lasting over 60 years, he served for 12 years as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, spread over four non-conse ...

who was

Prime Minister A prime minister, premier or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. Under those systems, a prime minister is not ...

until 1874, and also served as such 1880-85 when Gladstone was Prime Minister for the second time. Following Gladstone's defeat in 1885 he was appointed by the new Prime Minister, the Tory

Lord Salisbury Robert Arthur Talbot Gascoyne-Cecil, 3rd Marquess of Salisbury (; 3 February 183022 August 1903) was a British statesman and Conservative politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom three times for a total of over thirteen y ...

to a position in the

where he became a pillar of the Victorian establishment during various appointments through the years. On his arrival in 1885 he was appointed principal clerk in the Finance Division, and in 1892 he became Assistant Financial Secretary. Two years later he advanced to Assistant Secretary to the Treasury for financial business. In October 1902 he was appointed a Joint

, and continued as such until his death. Hamilton was appointed a

Companion of the Order of the Bath Companion may refer to: Relationships Currently * Any of several interpersonal relationships such as friend or acquaintance * A domestic partner, akin to a spouse * Sober companion, an addiction treatment coach * Companion (caregiving), a caregive ...

(CB) in 1885, was knighted and promoted a

Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath The Most Honourable Order of the Bath is a British order of chivalry founded by George I of Great Britain, George I on 18 May 1725. The name derives from the elaborate medieval ceremony for appointing a knight, which involved Bathing#Medieval ...

(KCB) in 1894, and received the

Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath The Most Honourable Order of the Bath is a British order of chivalry founded by George I on 18 May 1725. The name derives from the elaborate medieval ceremony for appointing a knight, which involved bathing (as a symbol of purification) as one ...

(GCB) in 1906. He also received the

Imperial Service Order The Imperial Service Order was established by King Edward VII in August 1902. It was awarded on retirement to the administration and clerical staff of the Civil Service throughout the British Empire for long and meritorious service. Normally a pe ...

(ISO) in 1904. For his services to the monarchy,

King Edward VII Edward VII (Albert Edward; 9 November 1841 – 6 May 1910) was King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and Emperor of India, from 22 January 1901 until his death in 1910. The second child and eldest son of Queen Victoria a ...

appointed him a

Knight Commander of the Royal Victorian Order The Royal Victorian Order (french: Ordre royal de Victoria) is a dynastic order of knighthood established in 1896 by Queen Victoria. It recognises distinguished personal service to the British monarch, Canadian monarch, Australian monarch, or ...

(KCVO) in July 1901. While Hamilton always retained strong links to Gladstone and his family, politically he was closer to Gladstone's successor

Lord Rosebery Archibald Philip Primrose, 5th Earl of Rosebery, 1st Earl of Midlothian, (7 May 1847 – 21 May 1929) was a British Liberal Party politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from March 1894 to June 1895. Between the death of ...

to whom he was a close friend and

contemporary. Hamilton published a book on Gladstone, and volume dealing with the National Debt. He also published a diary of political gossip under the pseudonym "Nemo" (Latin for "no man" or "no one"). He was an amateur musician and published several of his compositions. Hamilton died unmarried on 3 September 1908, and was buried in Brighton cemetery.

Works

*''Conversion and Redemption: an Account of the Operations under the National Debt Conversion Act, 1889'' (London: Eyre and Spottiswoode, 1889). *''Mr. Gladstone'' (London: John Murray, 1898). *''The Diary of Sir Edward Walter Hamilton, 1880–1885'', ed. D. W. R. Bahlman, 2 vols. (Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1972). *''The Destruction of Lord Rosebery: From the Diary of Sir Edward Hamilton, 1894–1895'', ed. David Brooks (Historian's Press, 1986). *''The Diary of Sir Edward Walter Hamilton, 1885–1906'', ed. D. W. R. Bahlman (University of Hull Press, 1993).

Notes

References

* *

External links

National register of archives
accessed 26 October 2006. {{DEFAULTSORT:Hamilton, Edward Companions of the Imperial Service Order English diarists Knights Commander of the Royal Victorian Order Knights Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath Permanent Secretaries of HM Treasury Principal Private Secretaries to the Prime Minister 1847 births 1908 deaths People educated at Eton College Members of the Privy Council of the United Kingdom 19th-century diarists