Martin Davis Hamilton (1855-1922) was an American

Republican Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...

politician A politician is a person active in party politics, or a person holding or seeking an elected office in government. Politicians propose, support, reject and create laws that govern the land and by an extension of its people. Broadly speaking, a ...

from

San Diego San Diego ( , ; ) is a city on the Pacific Ocean coast of Southern California located immediately adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a 2020 population of 1,386,932, it is the List of United States cities by population, eigh ...

California California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...

. He served as acting

Mayor of San Diego The mayor of the City of San Diego is the official head and chief executive officer of the U.S. city of San Diego, California. The mayor has the duty to enforce and execute the laws enacted by the San Diego City Council, the legislative branch. ...

following the resignation of

William Jefferson Hunsaker William Jefferson Hunsaker (1855–1933) was an American lawyer and politician from San Diego and later Los Angeles, California. Hunsaker was the San Diego County District Attorney from 1882 to 1884, 4th Mayor of San Diego from 1887 to 1888 and ...

Military

Hamilton fought for the

Union Union commonly refers to: * Trade union, an organization of workers * Union (set theory), in mathematics, a fundamental operation on sets Union may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Music * Union (band), an American rock group ** ''Un ...

in the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states th ...

, where he lost an arm. After the war, he was an active member of the

Grand Army of the Republic The Grand Army of the Republic (GAR) was a fraternal organization composed of veterans of the Union Army (United States Army), Union Navy (U.S. Navy), and the Marines who served in the American Civil War. It was founded in 1866 in Decatur, Il ...

's Heintzelman Post No. 33.

Elected office

Hamilton was active in San Diego local politics and was elected to several positions over time. Hamilton was a staunch

republican Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...

and ran on the local party's "Citizen's Non-Partisan" ticket. Hamilton's first elected to office was City Assessor, where he served from 1880 until 1885. On April 18, 1887, Hamilton was elected to the San Diego Board of Trustees. At the first meeting, the board voted to install Hamilton as president of the board. At this time the president of the board was referred to as the

out of courtesy, though there was no official position of mayor at this time. The office of the mayor was reinstated in 1888, and Hamilton continued in his role as president of the board of trustees. Following the resignation of Mayor

on November 13, 1888, Hamilton was elevated to acting Mayor of San Diego until the next election could be held.

References

California Republicans Mayors of San Diego 1855 births 1922 deaths {{California-mayor-stub