
Rt. Hon. Lord Claud John Hamilton (20 February 1843 – 26 January 1925) was a British
Member of Parliament
A member of parliament (MP) is the representative in parliament of the people who live in their electoral district. In many countries with Bicameralism, bicameral parliaments, this term refers only to members of the lower house since upper house ...
(MP) during the
Victorian era
In the history of the United Kingdom and the British Empire, the Victorian era was the period of Queen Victoria's reign, from 20 June 1837 until her death on 22 January 1901. The era followed the Georgian period and preceded the Edward ...
, and a noted railway director.
Family and education
Born the second son of
James Hamilton, 2nd Marquess of Abercorn (later the 1st
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 ...
) and his wife
Lady Louisa Jane Russell, Hamilton was educated at
Harrow School
Harrow School () is a Public school (United Kingdom), public school (English Independent school (United Kingdom), independent boarding school for boys) in Harrow on the Hill, Greater London, England. The school was founded in 1572 by John Lyon (sc ...
.
He married Carolina Chandos-Pole (19 July 1857 – 21 September 1911) (a granddaughter of the
5th Earl of Harrington) on 20 July 1878 and they had two children:
*Gilbert Claud Hamilton (1879–1943), who gained the rank of colonel in service of the Grenadier Guards, fought in the
Second Boer War
The Second Boer War ( af, Tweede Vryheidsoorlog, , 11 October 189931 May 1902), also known as the Boer War, the Anglo–Boer War, or the South African War, was a conflict fought between the British Empire and the two Boer Republics (the South ...
and was decorated several times. He married twice, firstly in 1911 Enid Awa Elgar (1892-1916), daughter of
Charles Elgar from
Fernside, Featherston, New Zealand, and secondly in 1916 Mary Blair (died 1961), daughter of Joseph Allan Blair from New York City, USA. He had no issue.
*Ida Hamilton (1883–1970), who in 1909 married Hugh Duncombe Flower (1878-1950). They divorced in 1923 and had one son.
Military and political careers
Hamilton served in the British Army, firstly in the
Grenadier Guards
"Shamed be whoever thinks ill of it."
, colors =
, colors_label =
, march = Slow: " Scipio"
, mascot =
, equipment =
, equipment ...
, and later 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 ...
,
before turning to political life.
In 1865, he became
Conservative
Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy that seeks to promote and to preserve traditional institutions, practices, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civilization in ...
MP for
Londonderry City until 1868 when he was appointed a
Lord of the Treasury
In the United Kingdom there are at least six Lords Commissioners of His Majesty's Treasury, serving as a commission for the ancient office of Treasurer of the Exchequer. The board consists of the First Lord of the Treasury, the Second Lord of th ...
in
Benjamin Disraeli's first ministry. In 1869, he became MP for
King's Lynn
King's Lynn, known until 1537 as Bishop's Lynn and colloquially as Lynn, is a port and market town in the borough of King's Lynn and West Norfolk in the county of Norfolk, England. It is located north of London, north-east of Peterborough, ...
until 1880,
for
Liverpool
Liverpool is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. With a population of in 2019, it is the List of English districts by population, 10th largest English district by population and its E ...
from 1880 to 1885, for
Liverpool West Derby from 1885 until he
resigned his seat in 1888,
and for
Kensington South
Kensington South was a parliamentary constituency centred on the Kensington district of west London. It returned one Member of Parliament (MP) to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom.
The constituency was crea ...
from
January 1910 to
1918
This year is noted for the end of the First World War, on the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month, as well as for the Spanish flu pandemic that killed 50–100 million people worldwide.
Events
Below, the events ...
.
Lord Claud had been an
aide-de-camp to
Queen Victoria
Victoria (Alexandrina Victoria; 24 May 1819 – 22 January 1901) was Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837 until her death in 1901. Her reign of 63 years and 216 days was longer than that of any previ ...
from 1887 to 1897 and was appointed to the
Privy Council in 1917.
Great Eastern Railway
However his principal contribution to British public life was as a director of the
Great Eastern Railway
The Great Eastern Railway (GER) was a pre-grouping British railway company, whose main line linked London Liverpool Street to Norwich and which had other lines through East Anglia. The company was grouped into the London and North Eastern R ...
(GER) from 1872, becoming vice-chairman in 1874, and chairman in 1893, continuing as chairman until 1922. The GER operated from London's Liverpool Street station to major eastern towns and cities including Cambridge, Norwich, Ipswich, Chelmsford, and Colchester. Hamilton travelled the network extensively. "He devoted the main energies of his life to the company, constantly travelling over the system, observing its conduct and operation".
The shares of the company (which had been bankrupt in 1866) rose from 76, shortly after he became a director, to par in 1896, and the dividend to 6% in 1901.
In 1900, the
Great Eastern Railway
The Great Eastern Railway (GER) was a pre-grouping British railway company, whose main line linked London Liverpool Street to Norwich and which had other lines through East Anglia. The company was grouped into the London and North Eastern R ...
named the first of its new class of 4-4-0 express passenger locomotives (designed by
James Holden and designated
GER Classes S46, D56 and H88
The GER Classes S46, D56 and H88 (classified Classes D14, D15, and D16 by the London and North Eastern Railway) were three classes of similar 4-4-0 steam locomotive designed by James Holden (S46 and D56) and A. J. Hill (H88) for the Great Easte ...
) after its chairman, and the whole class came to be known as the "Claud Hamilton" type.
Death
Hamilton died on 26 January 1925, and was buried in
Richmond Cemetery.
He was 81 years of age.
Legacy
A memorial was erected by Ida Flower in 1925 to the memory of her father. It can be found on the south wall of St John's-Hyde Park Church, London, W2.
Ancestry
References
*
See also
History of the associated clubs of the Apprentice Boys of Derry
External links
*
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hamilton, Lord Claud John
1843 births
1925 deaths
Members of the Parliament of the United Kingdom for County Londonderry constituencies (1801–1922)
Irish Conservative Party MPs
Knights of Justice of the Order of St John
People educated at Harrow School
Members of the Privy Council of the United Kingdom
Younger sons of dukes
UK MPs 1865–1868
UK MPs 1868–1874
UK MPs 1874–1880
UK MPs 1880–1885
UK MPs 1885–1886
UK MPs 1886–1892
UK MPs 1910
UK MPs 1910–1918
Members of the Parliament of the United Kingdom for Liverpool
Directors of the Great Eastern Railway
Conservative Party (UK) MPs for English constituencies
Burials at Richmond Cemetery