Sir William Alexander Baillie-Hamilton (6 September 1844 – 6 July 1920) was a Scottish civil servant, who became

Private Secretary A private secretary (PS) is a civil servant in a governmental department or ministry, responsible to a secretary of state or minister; or a public servant in a royal household, responsible to a member of the royal family. The role exists in ...

to the Chief Secretary for Ireland and to the Secretary of State for the Colonies between 1886 and 1892. In his youth, he was a keen sportsman who played for the Scottish side in the first football match against England in March 1870.

Family and education

Baillie-Hamilton was born at Brighton, the son of Admiral William Alexander Baillie-Hamilton (1803–1881) and Lady Harriet Hamilton (1812–1884). His father was

Second Secretary to the Admiralty The Permanent Secretary of the Admiralty was the permanent secretary at the Admiralty, the department of state in Great Britain responsible for the administration of the Royal Navy. He was head of the Admiralty Secretariat, later known as the '' ...

from 1845 to 1855; his mother was the daughter of

James Hamilton, Viscount Hamilton James Hamilton, Viscount Hamilton (7 October 1786 – 27 May 1814) was a British nobleman and politician. Birth and education The eldest son of John Hamilton, 1st Marquess of Abercorn, James Hamilton was born at Petersham Lodge, Surrey, on 7 Oct ...

M.P. (1786–1814). He was educated at Harrow, leaving there in 1863. On 21 June 1871, he married Mary Aynscombe Mossop, daughter of Reverend John Mossop (rector at

Hothfield Hothfield is a village and civil parish in the Ashford Borough of Kent, England and is 3 miles north-west of Ashford on the A20. It is completely split in two by Hothfield Common. Geography In the north west is Hothfield Common, 58 hectares (1 ...

, Kent). They had two sons: *George Douglas Baillie-Hamilton (1875–1934) *Walter Stuart Baillie-Hamilton (1880–1953)

Sporting career

In 1870, he was selected together with his younger brother Charles by fellow civil servant, James Kirkpatrick, to represent Scotland in a football match to be played against England at the

Kennington Oval The Oval, currently known for sponsorship reasons as the Kia Oval, is an international cricket ground in Kennington, located in the borough of Lambeth, in south London. The Oval has been the home ground of Surrey County Cricket Club since it ...

on 5 March 1870. The match ended in a 1–1 draw, with the Scottish goal being scored by fellow Harrovian, Robert Crawford. Baillie-Hamilton also represented Harrow School at

cricket Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of eleven players on a field at the centre of which is a pitch with a wicket at each end, each comprising two bails balanced on three stumps. The batting side scores runs by str ...

; he later represented M.C.C. between 1877 and 1881.

Military career

He was a member of the East Lothians and Berwickshire Imperial Yeomanry, being promoted to the rank of captain in June 1878. He ultimately gained the rank of Lieutenant-Colonel and Honorary Colonel of the regiment.

Civil Service career

On leaving Harrow, he entered the Colonial Office in 1864, reaching the rank of First Class Clerk in 1879. He was secretary to the Colonial Conference in 1887; he was

to the Chief Secretary for Ireland and to the Secretary of State for the Colonies between 1886 and 1892. He became a Principal Clerk in 1894 and Chief Clerk in 1897. He was Chief Clerk of the

Colonial Office The Colonial Office was a government department of the Kingdom of Great Britain and later of the United Kingdom, first created to deal with the colonial affairs of British North America but required also to oversee the increasing number of c ...

between 1896 and 1909, when he retired. He also qualified as a barrister and was admitted to the

Inner Temple The Honourable Society of the Inner Temple, commonly known as the Inner Temple, is one of the four Inns of Court and is a professional associations for barristers and judges. To be called to the Bar and practise as a barrister in England and ...

in 1871. In 1884, he published a novel, "''Mr. Montenello: a romance of the civil service''". He died on 6 July 1920, aged 75.

Honours

In May 1887, he was invested as a Companion of the Order of St. Michael and St. George and in August 1892 as a Companion of the Order of the Bath ( C.B.). He was promoted to Knight Commander of the Order of St. Michael and St. George ( K.C.M.G.) in the

1897 Diamond Jubilee Honours The Diamond Jubilee Honours for the British Empire were announced on 22 June 1897 to celebrate the Diamond Jubilee of Queen Victoria on 20 June 1897. The recipients of honours are displayed here as they were styled before their new honour, and ar ...

; the investiture took place at

Windsor Castle Windsor Castle is a royal residence at Windsor in the English county of Berkshire. It is strongly associated with the English and succeeding British royal family, and embodies almost a millennium of architectural history. The original c ...

on 9 December 1897. In November 1901, he was appointed an Officer of Arms of the Order of St. Michael and St. George by

King Edward VII Edward VII (Albert Edward; 9 November 1841 – 6 May 1910) was King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and Emperor of India, from 22 January 1901 until his death in 1910. The second child and eldest son of Queen Victoria a ...

. In May 1911, the title was changed to

Gentleman Usher of the Blue Rod The Gentleman Usher of the Blue Rod is the Gentleman Usher to the Most Distinguished Order of Saint Michael and Saint George, established in 1818. If the office holder is female, she is referred to as the Lady Usher of the Blue Rod. The office was ...

, a position held by Baillie-Hamilton until his death.

References

External links

Family tree
{{DEFAULTSORT:Baillie-Hamilton, William A. 1844 births People from Brighton 1920 deaths England v Scotland representative footballers (1870–1872) Civil servants in the Colonial Office Civil servants in Ireland (1801–1922) Private secretaries in the British Civil Service People educated at Harrow School Companions of the Order of the Bath Knights Commander of the Order of St Michael and St George Lothians and Border Horse officers Association football forwards

William William is a male given name of Germanic origin.Hanks, Hardcastle and Hodges, ''Oxford Dictionary of First Names'', Oxford University Press, 2nd edition, , p. 276. It became very popular in the English language after the Norman conquest of Engl ...

Association football players not categorized by nationality