Lord Claud Hamilton PC (27 July 1813 – 3 June 1884) was a British

Conservative Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy and ideology that seeks to promote and preserve traditional institutions, customs, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civiliza ...

politician. He notably served as

Treasurer of the Household The Treasurer of the Household is a member of the Royal Households of the United Kingdom, Royal Household of the Monarchy of the United Kingdom, Sovereign of the United Kingdom. The position is usually held by one of the government deputy Chief ...

in 1852 and between 1858 and 1859 and as

Vice-Chamberlain of the Household The Vice-Chamberlain of the Household is a member of the Royal Household of the Sovereign of the United Kingdom. The officeholder is usually a senior government whip in the British House of Commons ranking third or fourth after the Chief Whip and ...

between 1866 and 1868.

Background and education

Hamilton was the second son of James Hamilton, Viscount Hamilton, eldest son of

John Hamilton, 1st Marquess of Abercorn John James Hamilton, 1st Marquess of Abercorn (2 July 1756 – 27 January 1818) was an Anglo-Irish peer and politician. Background and education John James was born in July 1756 in London, the posthumous son of John Hamilton (Royal Navy offic ...

. His mother was Harriet Douglas, daughter of the Honourable John Douglas, younger son of

James Douglas, 14th Earl of Morton James Douglas, 14th Earl of Morton, KT, FRS (1702 – 12 October 1768) was a Scottish peer and astronomer who was president of the Philosophical Society of Edinburgh from its foundation in 1737 until his death in 1768. He also became preside ...

. James Hamilton, 1st Duke of Abercorn, was his elder brother.thepeerage.com Lord Claud Hamilton
/ref> He was educated at Harrow and

Trinity College, Cambridge Trinity College is a Colleges of the University of Cambridge, constituent college of the University of Cambridge. Founded in 1546 by King Henry VIII, Trinity is one of the largest Cambridge colleges, with the largest financial endowment of any ...

Political career

Hamilton sat as Member of Parliament for

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. Its county town is Omagh. Adjoined to the south-west shore of Lough Neagh, the cou ...

from 1835 to 1837 and again from 1839 to 1874. When the Conservatives came to power in February 1852 under the

Earl of Derby Earl of Derby ( ) is a title in the Peerage of England. The title was first adopted by Robert de Ferrers, 1st Earl of Derby, under a creation of 1139. It continued with the Ferrers family until the 6th Earl forfeited his property toward the en ...

, Hamilton was admitted to the Privy Council and appointed

, a post he held until the government fell in December 1852. He held the same office under Derby from 1858 to 1859. When Derby became prime minister for a third time in 1866, Hamilton was promoted to

, a position he retained until 1868, the last year under the premiership of

Benjamin Disraeli Benjamin Disraeli, 1st Earl of Beaconsfield (21 December 1804 – 19 April 1881) was a British statesman, Conservative Party (UK), Conservative politician and writer who twice served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom. He played a ...

. He could talk fluently and well on almost any topic at indefinite length. One of his speeches lasted four hours and twenty minutes, one of the longest then on record in the House of Commons. He was commissioned as Lieutenant-Colonel Commandant of the part-time Prince of Wales's Own Donegal Militia on 22 September 1855. He passed the command over to his nephew Lord Claud John Hamilton in 1867.''Army List'', various dates.

Family

Hamilton married Lady Elizabeth Proby, daughter of Granville Proby, 3rd Earl of Carysfort, on 7 August 1844. They had one son and three daughters. Hamilton's wife Elizabeth was the translator from French to English of 'Louis Pasteur: His life and times' by Pasteur's son-in-law. His only son Douglas became a soldier and Member of Parliament while his grandson Richard was created a

Baronet A baronet ( or ; abbreviated Bart or Bt) or the female equivalent, a baronetess (, , or ; abbreviation Btss), is the holder of a baronetcy, a hereditary title awarded by the British Crown. The title of baronet is mentioned as early as the 14th ...

in 1952 (see Proby Baronets). A daughter, Louisa Hamilton, married physicist

John Tyndall John Tyndall (; 2 August 1820 – 4 December 1893) was an Irish physicist. His scientific fame arose in the 1850s from his study of diamagnetism. Later he made discoveries in the realms of infrared radiation and the physical properties of air ...

. Hamilton died in June 1884, aged 70. Lady Elizabeth survived him by sixteen years and died in June 1900.

References

External links

* 1813 births 1884 deaths Members of the Parliament of the United Kingdom for County Tyrone constituencies (1801–1922) UK MPs 1835–1837 UK MPs 1837–1841 UK MPs 1841–1847 UK MPs 1847–1852 UK MPs 1852–1857 UK MPs 1857–1859 UK MPs 1859–1865 UK MPs 1865–1868 UK MPs 1868–1874 Irish Conservative Party MPs Younger sons of marquesses Treasurers of the Household People educated at Harrow School Alumni of Trinity College, Cambridge Members of the Privy Council of the United Kingdom Donegal Militia officers {{England-UK-MP-stub