Lord Claud Hamilton (1813–1884)

Lord Claud Hamilton PC (27 July 1813 – 3 June 1884) was a British Conservative politician. He notably served as Treasurer of the Household in 1852 and between 1858 and 1859 and as Vice-Chamberlain of the Household between 1866 and 1868.

The Right Honourable Lord Claud Hamilton
"The Dowager". Caricature by Spy published in Vanity Fair in 1877.
Vice-Chamberlain of the Household
In office 10 July 1866 – 1 December 1868
Monarch	Victoria
Prime Minister	The Earl of Derby Benjamin Disraeli
Preceded by	The Earl of Bradford
Succeeded by	Viscount Castlerosse
Personal details
Born	27 July 1813
Died	3 June 1884 (aged 70)
Nationality	British
Political party	Conservative
Spouse(s)	Lady Elizabeth Proby (1821–1900)
Children	4, including Douglas Proby
Parents	James Hamilton, Viscount Hamilton Harriet Douglas
Alma mater	Trinity College, Cambridge

Background and education

Hamilton was the second son of James Hamilton, Viscount Hamilton, eldest son of John Hamilton, 1st Marquess of Abercorn. His mother was Harriet Douglas, daughter of the Honourable John Douglas, younger son of James Douglas, 14th Earl of Morton. James Hamilton, 1st Duke of Abercorn, was his elder brother.[1] He was educated at Harrow and Trinity College, Cambridge.[2]

Political career

Hamilton sat as Member of Parliament for County Tyrone from 1835 to 1837 and again from 1839 to 1874.[1][3] When the Conservatives came to power in February 1852 under the Earl of Derby, Hamilton was admitted to the Privy Council[4] and appointed Treasurer of the Household,[5] a post he held until the government fell in December 1852.[6] He held the same office under Derby from 1858[7] to 1859.[8] When Derby became prime minister for a third time in 1866, Hamilton was promoted to Vice-Chamberlain of the Household,[9] a position he retained until 1868, the last year under the premiership of Benjamin Disraeli.[10] 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.[11]

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.[12] His only son Douglas became a soldier and Member of Parliament while his grandson Richard was created a Baronet in 1952 (see Proby Baronets). A daughter, Louisa Hamilton, married physicist John Tyndall. Hamilton died in June 1884, aged 70. Lady Elizabeth survived him by sixteen years and died in June 1900.[1]

References

1. thepeerage.com Lord Claud Hamilton
2. "Hamilton, Lord Claude (HMLN832C)". A Cambridge Alumni Database. University of Cambridge.
3. Leigh Rayment's Historical List of MPs – Constituencies beginning with "T" (part 2)
4. "No. 21296". The London Gazette. 27 February 1852. p. 633.
5. "No. 21297". The London Gazette. 2 March 1852. p. 670.
6. "No. 21401". The London Gazette. 11 January 1853. p. 72.
7. "No. 22106". The London Gazette. 2 March 1858. p. 1207.
8. "No. 22280". The London Gazette. 28 June 1859. p. 2513.
9. "No. 23137". The London Gazette. 13 July 1866. p. 3984.
10. "No. 23450". The London Gazette. 15 December 1868. p. 6654.
11. Hamilton, Frederic (1920). The Days before Yesterday (6th ed.). London: Hodder and Stoughton. p. 26.
12. Vallery-Radot, René; Hamilton, Elizabeth (1885). Louis Pasteur: His Life and Labours. London: Longman, Green, and Co.

External links

• Hansard 1803–2005: contributions in Parliament by Lord Claud Hamilton