Sam D. Hamilton (July 5, 1955 – February 20, 2010) was the 15th director of the United States Fish and Wildlife Service from September 1, 2009, until February 20, 2010. Hamilton, a native of Lawrenceville, Georgia, received his bachelor's degree from

Mississippi State University Mississippi State University for Agriculture and Applied Science, commonly known as Mississippi State University (MSU), is a public land-grant research university adjacent to Starkville, Mississippi. It is classified among "R1: Doctoral Unive ...

in 1977. Prior to his appointment as Director of the United States Fish and Wildlife Service, Hamilton served as the agency's southeast regional director, based in Atlanta, Georgia. Hamilton was credited with leading the restoration efforts in the

Florida Everglades The Everglades is a natural region of tropical climate, tropical wetlands in the southern portion of the U.S. state of Florida, comprising the southern half of a large drainage basin within the Neotropical realm. The system begins near Orland ...

. He also oversaw coastal fort restoration efforts along the Gulf of Mexico following

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and

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, both of which damaged wildlife refuges, wetlands and other habitats. He was appointed the director of the United States Fish and Wildlife Service in 2009 and was sworn in on September 15, 2009. As director, Hamilton oversaw 8,700 employees who are responsible for nearly , including approximately 550 national wildlife refuges nationwide. Sam Hamilton suffered a heart attack while skiing at the Keystone Resort in

Keystone, Colorado Keystone is an unincorporated community and a census-designated place (CDP) located in and governed by Summit County, Colorado, United States. The CDP is a part of the Breckenridge, CO Micropolitan Statistical Area. The population of the Key ...

. He died on February 20, 2010, at the age of 54. He was survived by his wife, Becky; sons, Sam Jr. and Clay; and a grandson, Davis. In February 2012, the Noxubee National Wildlife Refuge, was renamed to Sam D. Hamilton Noxubee National Wildlife Refuge in honor of Hamilton.

References

External links

Sam D. Hamilton biography

* ttp://www.fws.gov/index.html Official web site of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service {{DEFAULTSORT:Hamilton, Sam 1955 births 2010 deaths Mississippi State University alumni People from Lawrenceville, Georgia United States Fish and Wildlife Service personnel