Capt. The Hon. John Hamilton (2 March 1714 – 18 December 1755) was a British naval officer, the second son of

James Hamilton, 7th Earl of Abercorn James Hamilton, 7th Earl of Abercorn PC (Ire) (1686–1744), styled Lord Paisley from 1701 to 1734, was a Scottish and Irish nobleman and peer. An amateur scientist and musician, he published a book on magnetism in 1729 and a treatise on musi ...

and Anne Plumer.

Biography

Hamilton chose a career in the

Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by English and Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were fought in the Hundred Years' War against F ...

and served in

Guinea Guinea ( ),, fuf, 𞤘𞤭𞤲𞤫, italic=no, Gine, wo, Gine, nqo, ߖߌ߬ߣߍ߫, bm, Gine officially the Republic of Guinea (french: République de Guinée), is a coastal country in West Africa. It borders the Atlantic Ocean to the we ...

and the

West Indies The West Indies is a subregion of North America, surrounded by the North Atlantic Ocean and the Caribbean Sea that includes 13 independent island countries and 18 dependencies and other territories in three major archipelagos: the Greater A ...

from 1737 to 1740. He was promoted to captain the next year and served throughout the

War of the Austrian Succession The War of the Austrian Succession () was a European conflict that took place between 1740 and 1748. Fought primarily in Central Europe, the Austrian Netherlands, Italy, the Atlantic and Mediterranean, related conflicts included King George's W ...

, mostly in escorting convoys. In 1742, he was given command of HMS ''Kinsale'', and captured a privateer off

Dieppe Dieppe (; Norman: ''Dgieppe'') is a coastal commune in the Seine-Maritime department in the Normandy region of northern France. Dieppe is a seaport on the English Channel at the mouth of the river Arques. A regular ferry service runs to Newha ...

on 7 September. He took command of HMS ''Augusta'' in 1744. His portrait by

Joshua Reynolds Sir Joshua Reynolds (16 July 1723 – 23 February 1792) was an English painter, specialising in portraits. John Russell said he was one of the major European painters of the 18th century. He promoted the "Grand Style" in painting which depend ...

in 1746 brought the artist his initial fame. In 1749, Hamilton married Harriet Eliot, the daughter of James Craggs and widow of Richard Eliot of Port Eliot (d. 1748). He remained on active service for a few years after the close of the war in 1748, but went on half-pay from 1751 to 1755. He was called back into service as commander of HMS ''Lancaster'', and accidentally drowned while in

Portsmouth harbour Portsmouth Harbour is a biological Site of Special Scientific Interest between Portsmouth and Gosport in Hampshire. It is a Ramsar site and a Special Protection Area. It is a large natural harbour in Hampshire, England. Geographically it i ...

. He left three children: *

John Hamilton, 1st Marquess of Abercorn John is a common English name and surname: * John (given name) * John (surname) John may also refer to: New Testament Works * Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John * First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John * Second E ...

(1756–1818) *Lady Anne Hamilton ( – 4 November 1764)

References

Hamilton Papers18th Century Ships of the Royal Navy
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hamilton, John Deaths by drowning in the United Kingdom Royal Navy officers Younger sons of earls 1714 births 1755 deaths Accidental deaths in England Royal Navy personnel of the War of the Austrian Succession