James Albert Edward Hamilton, 3rd Duke of Abercorn (30 November 1869 – 12 September 1953), styled Marquess of Hamilton between 1885 and 1913, was a British peer and Unionist politician. He was the first

Governor of Northern Ireland The governor of Northern Ireland was the principal officer and representative in Northern Ireland of the British monarch. The office was established on 9 December 1922 and abolished on 18 July 1973. Overview The office of Governor of Northern ...

, a post he held between 1922 and 1945. He was a great-grandfather of

Diana, Princess of Wales Diana, Princess of Wales (born Diana Frances Spencer; 1 July 1961 – 31 August 1997) was a member of the British royal family. She was the first wife of King Charles III (then Prince of Wales) and mother of Princes William and Harry. Her ac ...

Flag of the Governor of Northern Ireland (1922–1973)

Background and education

Born in Hamilton Place,

Piccadilly Piccadilly () is a road in the City of Westminster, London, to the south of Mayfair, between Hyde Park Corner in the west and Piccadilly Circus in the east. It is part of the A4 road that connects central London to Hammersmith, Earl's Cour ...

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

, he was the eldest son of James Hamilton, 2nd Duke of Abercorn, and godson of the

Prince of Wales Prince of Wales ( cy, Tywysog Cymru, ; la, Princeps Cambriae/Walliae) is a title traditionally given to the heir apparent to the English and later British throne. Prior to the conquest by Edward I in the 13th century, it was used by the rule ...

. His mother Lady Mary Anna was the fourth daughter of Richard Curzon-Howe, 1st Earl Howe.Dod (1915), p. 40 He was educated at Eton and subsequently served first in the

Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers The Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers was an Irish line infantry regiment of the British Army in existence from 1881 until 1968. The regiment was formed in 1881 by the amalgamation of the 27th (Inniskilling) Regiment of Foot and the 108th Regiment o ...

until 1892 when he joined the

1st Life Guards The 1st Regiment of Life Guards was a cavalry regiment in the British Army, part of the Household Cavalry. It was formed in 1788 by the union of the 1st Troop of Horse Guards and 1st Troop of Horse Grenadier Guards. In 1922, it was amalgamated wi ...

. Hamilton was later transferred as major to the

North Irish Horse The North Irish Horse was a yeomanry unit of the British Territorial Army raised in the northern counties of Ireland in the aftermath of the Second Boer War. Raised and patronised by the nobility from its inception to the present day, it was o ...

. In early 1901, he accompanied his father on a special diplomatic mission to announce the accession of King Edward to the governments of

Denmark ) , song = ( en, "King Christian stood by the lofty mast") , song_type = National and royal anthem , image_map = EU-Denmark.svg , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of Denmark , establish ...

, Sweden and Norway,

Russia Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and Northern Asia. It is the largest country in the world, with its internationally recognised territory covering , and encompassing one-ei ...

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwee ...

, and

Saxony Saxony (german: Sachsen ; Upper Saxon German, Upper Saxon: ''Saggsn''; hsb, Sakska), officially the Free State of Saxony (german: Freistaat Sachsen, links=no ; Upper Saxon: ''Freischdaad Saggsn''; hsb, Swobodny stat Sakska, links=no), is a ...

Political career

In the 1900 general election, Hamilton stood successfully as Unionist candidate for Londonderry City, and three years later he became

Treasurer of the Household The Treasurer of the Household is a member of the Royal Household of the Sovereign of the United Kingdom. The position is usually held by one of the government deputy Chief Whips in the House of Commons. The current holder of the office is Mar ...

, a post he held until the fall of Balfour's Conservative administration in 1905.Cokayne (1910), p. 10 After serving for a time as an

Opposition Opposition may refer to: Arts and media * ''Opposition'' (Altars EP), 2011 EP by Christian metalcore band Altars * The Opposition (band), a London post-punk band * '' The Opposition with Jordan Klepper'', a late-night television series on Com ...

whip A whip is a tool or weapon designed to strike humans or other animals to exert control through pain compliance or fear of pain. They can also be used without inflicting pain, for audiovisual cues, such as in equestrianism. They are generally ...

, Hamilton succeeded his father as third

Duke of Abercorn The title Duke of Abercorn () is a title in the Peerage of Ireland. It was created in 1868 and bestowed upon James Hamilton, 2nd Marquess of Abercorn. Although the Dukedom is in the Peerage of Ireland, it refers to Abercorn, West Lothian, and th ...

in 1913. In 1922 he was appointed governor of the newly created Northern Ireland. He also served as

Lord Lieutenant of Tyrone This is a list of people who have served as Lord Lieutenant of County Tyrone. There were lieutenants of counties in Ireland until the reign of James II, when they were renamed governors. The office of Lord Lieutenant was recreated on 23 August ...

from 1917 until his death, having previously been a Deputy Lieutenant for

County Donegal County Donegal ( ; ga, Contae Dhún na nGall) is a county of Ireland in the province of Ulster and in the Northern and Western Region. It is named after the town of Donegal in the south of the county. It has also been known as County Tyrcon ...

.Burke (2003), p. 6 Abercorn proved a popular royal representative in Northern Ireland, and was reappointed to the post in 1928 after completing his first term of office. In 1931, he declined the offer of the governor generalship of Canada, and three years later he was again reappointed governor for a third term. He remained in this capacity until his resignation in July 1945.''The Times (London)'', Monday, 14 September 1953 p. 10 col. D Abercorn was made the last non-royal Knight of the Most Illustrious Order of Saint Patrick in 1922, and six years later became a Knight of the Most Noble Order of the Garter. In the latter year, he was also the recipient of an

honorary degree An honorary degree is an academic degree for which a university (or other degree-awarding institution) has waived all of the usual requirements. It is also known by the Latin phrases ''honoris causa'' ("for the sake of the honour") or '' ad h ...

from the

Queen's University of Belfast , mottoeng = For so much, what shall we give back? , top_free_label = , top_free = , top_free_label1 = , top_free1 = , top_free_label2 = , top_free2 = , established = , closed = , type = Public research university , parent = ...

, and received the

Royal Victorian Chain The Royal Victorian Chain is a decoration instituted in 1902 by King Edward VII as a personal award of the monarch (i.e. not an award made on the advice of any Commonwealth realm government). It ranks above the Royal Victorian Order, with which it ...

in 1945, the same year he was sworn of the

Privy Council A privy council is a body that advises the head of state of a state, typically, but not always, in the context of a monarchic government. The word "privy" means "private" or "secret"; thus, a privy council was originally a committee of the mo ...

Family and children

Abercorn married Lady Rosalind Cecilia Caroline Bingham (1869–1958), only daughter of

Charles Bingham, 4th Earl of Lucan Charles George Bingham, 4th Earl of Lucan, KP (8 May 1830 – 5 June 1914), styled Lord Bingham from 1839 to 1888, was an Irish peer and soldier. He was the eldest son of George Bingham, 3rd Earl of Lucan and Lady Anne Brudenell. His maternal gr ...

and his wife Lady Cecilia Catherine Gordon-Lennox (1838–1910, daughter of Charles Lennox, 5th Duke of Richmond) at St. Paul's Church,

Knightsbridge Knightsbridge is a residential and retail district in central London, south of Hyde Park. It is identified in the London Plan as one of two international retail centres in London, alongside the West End. Toponymy Knightsbridge is an ancien ...

, on 1 November 1894. They had three daughters and two sons: * Lady Mary Cecilia Rhodesia Hamilton (1896–1984), who married twice, firstly in 1917 Capt/Maj. Robert Orlando Rudolph Kenyon-Slaney (1892–1965), with whom she divorced in 1930, and, secondly, in 1930 to

Sir John Gilmour, 2nd Baronet Lieutenant-Colonel Sir John Gilmour, 2nd Baronet (27 May 1876 – 30 March 1940) was a Scottish Unionist politician. He notably served as Home Secretary from 1932 to 1935. Early life Gilmour was the son of Sir John Gilmour, 1st Baronet, cha ...

. With her first husband she had two daughters and a son, and with her second husband one son. * Lady Cynthia Elinor Beatrix Hamilton (1897–1972), who married in 1919

Albert Edward John Spencer, 7th Earl Spencer Albert Edward John Spencer, 7th Earl Spencer, (23 May 1892 – 9 June 1975), styled The Honourable Albert Spencer until 1910 and Viscount Althorp from 1910 to 1922, and known less formally as Jack Spencer, was a British peer. He was the pater ...

(1892–1975). They had a son and two daughters. By their son they became grandparents of

. * Lady Katherine Hamilton (1900–1985), who married in 1930 Lt.-Col. Sir Reginald Henry Seymour (1878–1938), a descendant of the 1st

Marquess of Hertford The titles of Earl of Hertford and Marquess of Hertford have been created several times in the peerages of England and Great Britain. The third Earldom of Hertford was created in 1559 for Edward Seymour, who was simultaneously created Baron Be ...

. *

James Edward Hamilton, 4th Duke of Abercorn James Edward Hamilton, 4th Duke of Abercorn (29 February 1904 – 4 June 1979) styled Viscount Strabane until 1913 and Marquess of Hamilton between 1913 and 1953, was a British peer. He was the son of James Hamilton, 3rd Duke of Abercorn, and La ...

(1904–1979) * Lord Claud David Hamilton (1907–1968), who worked as a barrister in the Inner Temple, and who in 1946 married Genesta Mary Heath. He was her third husband; they had no children. Abercorn died at his

home in 1953, and was buried at Baronscourt in

County Tyrone County Tyrone (; ) is one of the six counties of Northern Ireland, one of the nine counties of Ulster and one of the thirty-two traditional counties of Ireland. It is no longer used as an administrative division for local government but retai ...

Ancestry

Notes

References

* * *

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Abercorn, James Hamilton, 3rd Duke Of 1869 births 1953 deaths Deputy Lieutenants of Donegal

103 103 may refer to: *103 (number), the number *AD 103, a year in the 2nd century AD * 103 BC, a year in the 2nd century BC * 103 (Tyne Electrical Engineers) Field Squadron, a territorial regiment * 103 (Newcastle) Field Squadron, Royal Engineers *103 ...

Knights of Grace of the Order of St John Knights of St Patrick Knights of the Garter Lord-Lieutenants of Tyrone Members of the Privy Council of Northern Ireland Members of the Privy Council of the United Kingdom Members of the Senate of Northern Ireland 1921–1925 Hamilton, James North Irish Horse officers British Life Guards officers Treasurers of the Household Hamilton, James Hamilton, James Hamilton, James Hamilton, James UK MPs who inherited peerages Ulster Unionist Party members of the Senate of Northern Ireland