Robert Hamilton (11 June 1743,

Edinburgh Edinburgh ( ; gd, Dùn Èideann ) is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 Council areas of Scotland, council areas. Historically part of the county of Midlothian (interchangeably Edinburghshire before 1921), it is located in Lothian ...

– 14 July 1829) was a Scottish mathematician and

political economist Political economy is the study of how economic systems (e.g. markets and national economies) and political systems (e.g. law, institutions, government) are linked. Widely studied phenomena within the discipline are systems such as labour mar ...

. He was a founder member of the

Royal Society of Edinburgh The Royal Society of Edinburgh is Scotland's national academy of science and letters. It is a registered charity that operates on a wholly independent and non-partisan basis and provides public benefit throughout Scotland. It was established i ...

Life

He was born in

on 11 June 1743. He was the eighth son of Gavin Hamilton, a bookseller and publisher. His grandfather, William Hamilton, was Professor of Divinity and had also been a

Principal of Edinburgh University Principals of the University of Edinburgh * 1586 Robert Rollock (Regent from 1583 to 1586) * 1599 Henry Charteris * 1620 Patrick Sands * 1622 Robert Boyd * 1623 John Adamson (died in office in 1652 but the original successor, William Colvi ...

. His paternal uncle was the Very Rev Prof Robert Hamilton (1707–87), and he was the cousin of James Hamilton (1749-1835). Having completed his education at the

High School, Edinburgh The Royal High School (RHS) of Edinburgh is a co-educational school administered by the City of Edinburgh Council. The school was founded in 1128 and is one of the oldest schools in Scotland. It serves 1,200 pupils drawn from four feeder primar ...

, and the

University of Edinburgh The University of Edinburgh ( sco, University o Edinburgh, gd, Oilthigh Dhùn Èideann; abbreviated as ''Edin.'' in post-nominals) is a public research university based in Edinburgh, Scotland. Granted a royal charter by King James VI in 15 ...

, where he was distinguished in mathematics, Robert was induced to enter a banking-house in order to acquire a practical knowledge of business, but his ambition was really academic. In 1769 he gave up business pursuits and accepted the rectorship of

Perth Academy Perth Academy is a state comprehensive secondary school in Perth, Scotland. It was founded in 1696. The institution is a non-denominational one. The school occupies ground on the side of a hill in the Viewlands area of Perth, and is within the Pe ...

. In 1779 he was presented to the chair of

natural philosophy Natural philosophy or philosophy of nature (from Latin ''philosophia naturalis'') is the philosophical study of physics Physics is the natural science that studies matter, its fundamental constituents, its motion and behavior throu ...

at the

University of Aberdeen The University of Aberdeen ( sco, University o' 'Aiberdeen; abbreviated as ''Aberd.'' in List of post-nominal letters (United Kingdom), post-nominals; gd, Oilthigh Obar Dheathain) is a public university, public research university in Aberdeen, Sc ...

. For many years, however, by private arrangement with his colleague Professor Patrick Copland, Hamilton taught the class of mathematics. In 1816 he was presented to the latter chair. He retired in 1817 and was succeeded by Prof John Cruickshank. In his later years he lived at 82 Broad Street in Aberdeen. He died in 1829. He is buried in the churchyard of the

Kirk of St Nicholas The Kirk of St Nicholas is a historic church located in the city centre of Aberdeen, Scotland. Up until the dissolution of the congregation on 31 December 2020, it was known as the ''"Kirk of St Nicholas Uniting"''. It is also known as ''"The Mit ...

on Union Street in Aberdeen. His huge monument (the largest in the churchyard) lies close to the main entrance on Union Street. The grave was designed by the Aberdeen architect James Smith.

Works

Hamilton's most important work is the ''Essay on the National Debt'', which appeared in 1813 and was undoubtedly the first to expose the economic fallacies involved in Pitt's policy of a sinking fund. It is still of value. A posthumous volume published in 1830, ''The Progress of Society'', is also of great ability, and is a very effective treatment of economical principles by tracing their origin and position in the development of social life. Some minor works of a practical character (''Introduction to Merchandise'', 1777; ''Essay on War and Peace'', 1790) are now forgotten.

Family

He married twice: firstly to Ann Mitchell of Ladath, and, following her death in 1778, to Jane Morison (d.1825). His daughter, Grizel Hamilton, married the eminent

surgeon,

Benjamin Bell Benjamin Bell of Hunthill FRSE FRCSEd (6 September 1749 – 5 April 1806) is considered to be the first Scottish scientific surgeon. He is commonly described as the father of the Edinburgh school of surgery,Richardson BWS, Martin MSM. Discipl ...

whose grandson Dr

Joseph Bell Joseph Bell FRCSE (2 December 1837 – 4 October 1911) was a Scottish surgeon and lecturer at the medical school of the University of Edinburgh in the 19th century. He is best known as an inspiration for the literary character Sherlock Holm ...

was the inspiration for

Sherlock Holmes Sherlock Holmes () is a fictional detective created by British author Arthur Conan Doyle. Referring to himself as a " consulting detective" in the stories, Holmes is known for his proficiency with observation, deduction, forensic science and ...

. His uncle was the Very Rev Prof Robert Hamilton

FRSE Fellowship of the Royal Society of Edinburgh (FRSE) is an award granted to individuals that the Royal Society of Edinburgh, Scotland's national academy of science and letters, judged to be "eminently distinguished in their subject". This soci ...

, twice

Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland The Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland is the ministers and elders of the Church of Scotland, minister or elder chosen to moderate (chair) the annual General Assembly of the Church of Scotland, which is held for a week i ...

Recognition

Hamilton Place in Aberdeen is named in his honour.https://homepages.abdn.ac.uk/npmuseum/Scitour/Hamilton.pdf

Sources

Societies

References

Attribution * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Hamilton, Robert 1743 births 1829 deaths 18th-century Scottish people 19th-century Scottish people Academics from Edinburgh Scottish economists Scottish mathematicians Academics of the University of Aberdeen Alumni of the University of Edinburgh People educated at the Royal High School, Edinburgh Scottish schoolteachers Fellows of the Royal Society of Edinburgh Scottish businesspeople