Rt. Hon. Lord Claud John Hamilton PC (20 February 1843 – 26 January 1925) was a British aristocrat, Member of Parliament (MP), and a noted railway director during the Victorian era.[1]
Lord Claud Hamilton | |
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![]() Lord Hamilton, c. 1916 | |
Member of Parliament for Kensington South | |
In office January 1910–1918 | |
Member of Parliament for Liverpool West Derby | |
In office 1885–1888 | |
Member of Parliament for Liverpool | |
In office 1880–1885 | |
Member of Parliament for King's Lynn | |
In office 1869–1880 | |
Member of Parliament for Londonderry City | |
In office 1865–1868 | |
Personal details | |
Born | Stanmore, Middlesex | 20 February 1843
Died | 26 January 1925 Paddington, London, England | (aged 81)
Political party | Conservative |
Spouse |
Carolina Chandos-Pole
(m. 1878) |
Children | 2 |
Parents |
|
Relatives | Louisa Hamilton (sister) James Hamilton (brother) George Hamilton (brother) Albertha Hamilton (sister) Maud Hamilton (sister) Frederick Hamilton (brother) Ernest Hamilton (brother) |
Military career | |
Service | British Army |
Unit | Grenadier Guards Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers |
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/67/Claud_John_Hamilton%2C_Vanity_Fair%2C_1878-07-27.jpg/220px-Claud_John_Hamilton%2C_Vanity_Fair%2C_1878-07-27.jpg)
Family and education
editLord Claud was born at the Priory in Stanmore, Middlesex,[2] the second son of James Hamilton, 2nd Marquess of Abercorn (later the 1st Duke of Abercorn) and his wife Lady Louisa Jane Russell, daughter of 6th Duke of Bedford. He was educated at Harrow School.[3]
He married Carolina Chandos-Pole (19 July 1857 – 21 September 1911), a granddaughter of the 5th Earl of Harrington, on 20 July 1878. They had two children:[1]
- Gilbert Claud Hamilton (1879–1943), who gained the rank of colonel in service of the Grenadier Guards, fought in the Second Boer War 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
editHamilton served in the British Army, firstly in the Grenadier Guards, and later in the Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers,[4] before turning to political life.
In 1865, he became Conservative MP for Londonderry City until 1868 when he was appointed a Lord of the Treasury in Benjamin Disraeli's first ministry. In 1869, he became MP for King's Lynn until 1880,[5] for Liverpool from 1880 to 1885, for Liverpool West Derby from 1885 until he resigned his seat in 1888,[6] and for Kensington South from January 1910 to 1918.[6]
Lord Claud had been an aide-de-camp to Queen Victoria from 1887 to 1897 and was appointed to the Privy Council in 1917.[citation needed]
Great Eastern Railway
editHowever his principal contribution to British public life was as a director of the Great Eastern Railway (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".[4] 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.[citation needed]
In 1900, the Great Eastern Railway 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 ) after its chairman, and the whole class came to be known as the "Claud Hamilton" type. [7]
Death
editHamilton underwent major surgery in November 1924. He died at his London home at 28 Cambridge Square, on 26 January 1925.[8] He was buried in Richmond Cemetery.[9] He was 81 years of age.
Legacy
editA 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.[citation needed]
Ancestry
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References
edit- ^ a b "Lord Claud Hamilton. Former Chairman of the G.E.R.". The Times. The Times Digital Archive. 27 January 1925. p. 8.
- ^ "Births". Morning Herald. 22 February 1843. p. 8. Retrieved 28 August 2024.
- ^ Harrow School (1911). The Harrow School Register, 1800–1911. Longmans, Green, and Co. p. 288.
- ^ a b Simmons, Jack; Biddle, Gordon, eds. (1997). The Oxford Companion to British Railway History. Oxford and New York: Oxford University Press. p. 200.
- ^ Craig, F. W. S. (1989) [1977]. British parliamentary election results 1832–1885 (2nd ed.). Chichester: Parliamentary Research Services. pp. 168, 192. ISBN 0-900178-26-4.
- ^ a b Craig, F. W. S. (1989) [1974]. British parliamentary election results 1885–1918 (2nd ed.). Chichester: Parliamentary Research Services. pp. 28, 145. ISBN 0-900178-27-2.
- ^ Allan, Cecil J. (1968). The Great Eastern Railway (Third ed.). London: Ian Allan. p. 127.
- ^ "Obituary". The Times. The Times Digital Archive. 27 January 1925. p. 14.
- ^ Meller, Hugh; Parsons, Brian (2011). London Cemeteries: An Illustrated Guide and Gazetteer (fifth ed.). Stroud, Gloucestershire: The History Press. pp. 290–294. ISBN 9780752461830.
See also
editHistory of the associated clubs of the Apprentice Boys of Derry
External links
edit- Hansard 1803–2005: contributions in Parliament by Lord Claud Hamilton
- Portraits of Lord Claud Hamilton at the National Portrait Gallery, London
- Alexander Thom and Son Ltd. 1923. p. – via Wikisource. . . Dublin: