Andrew Hamilton (lawyer)
Encyclopedia
Andrew Hamilton was a Scottish
lawyer
in Colonial America
, best known for his legal victory on behalf of printer and newspaper
publisher John Peter Zenger
. This 1735 decision helped to establish that truth is a defense to an accusation of libel. His eloquent defense was concluded with the notion that the press has "a liberty both of exposing and opposing tyrannical power by speaking and writing truth." His success in this case has been said to have given rise to the expression "Philadelphia lawyer
", in the sense of a particularly adept and clever attorney, as in "It would take a Philadelphia lawyer to get him off."
came to the throne in 1702. In his address to the Pennsylvania assembly in 1739, he speaks of “liberty, the love of which as it first drew me to, so it constantly prevailed on me to reside in this Province, tho' to the manifest prejudice of my fortune.” Probably, Hamilton was his real name, but, for private reasons, he saw fit to discard it for a time. About 1697, he came to Accomac County, Virginia. There he continued his study of law and taught a classical school. He later obtained employment as steward of a plantation owned by one of his former students, Joseph Preeson. After Preeson’s death in 1705, Hamilton continued working the Preeson estate. This led to his marriage, on March 6, 1706, with the widow of the estate, Ann Preeson, a daughter of Thomas and Susanna Denwood Brown, who were members of a prominent Quaker family. The marriage is said to have brought Hamilton influential connections, and he began the practice of the law.
Two years after his marriage, on March 26, 1708, Hamilton purchased from John Toads a 600-acre estate in Maryland known as “Henberry.” It was located on the North side of the Chester River
in Kent County, Maryland
. Current day Millington, Maryland
is situated in the area that Henberry used to encompass. He still had residence in Virginia as he was working in both colonies at the time.
with a reputable and lucrative law practice. During this year, Andrew Hamilton traveled to London
in order to gain higher rank and favor in his profession. On January 27, he joined the legal society of Gray’s Inn, one of the four societies for barristers in London. Two weeks later on February 10, he was called before the English Bar. At the end of the year, during the winter of 1712/13, William Penn
hired Hamilton in a replevin
case against Berkeley Codd, Esq. Codd disputed some of Penn’s rights under his grant from the Duke of York, who would later become King James II. This started the long and friendly relationship between Andrew Hamilton and the Penn family.
His trip to London and continued work in the colony of Pennsylvania and with the Penn family raised Hamilton to higher prominence. He came to the attention of both the Baltimore family and the government of the Maryland colony. In April 1715, he was chosen as a deputy to Maryland's House of Delegates
from Kent County
. Hamilton himself was presenting cases before the Pennsylvania Supreme Court on April 29, 1715. He did not return to Maryland or learn of his election until May 5, 1715. Hamilton then took the oath of office, test, and abjuration. This happened the day of his return because of his arrest by the House due to his delayed return. The explanation that he was one hundred miles from his home in Chestertown and unable to return was accepted though he still had to pay a total of sixty-five shillings to officials as a fine. Placed on the Committee of Laws, Hamilton was charged with the organization and codification of the Maryland colony's judiciary laws. By May 14,1715, Hamilton had helped put together a series of laws that became the Act of 1715. This Act would form the basis of the law for Maryland until the Revolution
.
At some point during 1715, Hamilton moved to Philadelphia. He and his family occupied Clark Hall, owned by William Clark Jr. and Rebecca Clark, and managed by their relative Clement Plumsted
. It was located at the corner of Third and Chestnut Streets.
. In March, 1721, he was called to the provincial council, and accepted on condition that his duties should not interfere with his practice. Hamilton resigned the office in 1724, and traveled to London to oversee the formal approval of William Penn’s will on behalf of the Penn family.
The killing of a Native American by a man named Cartledge in an area outside the boundaries of Philadelphia County
created tension between the tribes in the area and the colonists. There was a fear of violence erupting unless Cartledge could be brought to trial. A new Court Act was deemed necessary and created under the advisement and supervision of Hamilton, as Attorney-General, and the Chief Justice, David Lloyd
. Lloyd's older laws were consolidated into the Judiciary Act of 1722, which was passed by Governor Keith on May 22,1722. One feature allowed the Chief Justice to act as a justice of the peace
anywhere in the colony if conditions called for it, a clear response to the Cartledge situation. With the continued fear of the Iroquois
nation's response to the situation, the Native American killed had been of the Seneca people, Lloyd prepared for a trial on Cartledge. However, a letter from the Iroquois received on July 30,1722 urged that Cartledge be forgiven. At once the Assembly ordered one-hundred pounds set aside for expenses and one-hundred pounds for gifts and had Hamilton in his position as Attorney-General, Judge Hill, and a Mr. Norris act as a committee to visit the five nations.
In 1727 was appointed prothonotary
of the Supreme Court
, Master of the Rolls, and Recorder of Philadelphia. He was elected to the Pennsylvania Provincial Assembly from Bucks County in the same year, chosen speaker in 1729, and re-elected annually until his retirement in 1739, with the exception of a single year, 1733.
. Zenger was a printer in New York City
. In his newspaper, Zenger had asserted that judges were arbitrarily displaced, and new courts were erected, without the consent of the legislature, by which trials by jury were taken away when a governor was so disposed. The attorney-general charged him with libel, and Zenger's lawyers, objecting to the legality of the judge's commissions, were stricken from the list of attorneys.
Fearing that the advocate, who had subsequently been appointed by the court, might be overawed by the bench, at the head of which was Chief Justice De Lancey, a member of the governor's council, Hamilton voluntarily went to New York and appeared in the case. He admitted the printing and publishing of the article but advanced the doctrine, novel at the time, that the truth of the facts in the alleged libel could be set up as a defense and that in this proceeding the jury were judges of both the law and the facts.
The offer of evidence to prove the truth of Zenger's statements was rejected, but Hamilton then appealed to the jury to say from the evidence that they had met with in their daily lives that the contents of the defendant's article were true. His eloquence secured a verdict of “not guilty.”
The people of New York and the other colonies hailed the verdict with delight, since it insured free discussion of the conduct of public men. Gouverneur Morris
referred to Hamilton as “the day-star of the American Revolution,” and the common council of New York passed a resolution thanking him for his services, and presented him with the freedom of the city. In addition, a group of prominent residents contributed to the production of a 5½-ounce gold box that was presented to Hamilton as a lasting mark of their gratitude to him. His fame spread to England, an account of the trial passing through four editions there within three months.
, John Penn
and Richard Penn
, as the proprietors of Pennsylvania, signed an order to create a commission. This order was directed to prominent figures in colonial Pennsylvania and Philadelphia including Hamilton as well as Governor Gordon
, Isaac Norris
, Samuel Preston
, and James Logan
, Esquires, and to the gentlemen James Steel and Robert Charles. The commission, which was to be made up of at least three or more of these individuals, was given full power on behalf of the proprietors for the “running, marking, and laying out” of any boundary between Pennsylvania and Maryland
. This was in accordance to the agreement signed between the Penn brothers and Charles Calvert, 5th Baron Baltimore
on May 10, 1732.
From 1736 to his death in 1741, Hamilton was the mentor of young Benjamin Chew
, who later became Attorney General and Chief Justice of Pennsylvania. Hamilton was for many years a trustee of the general loan-office, the province's agency for issuing paper money, and in 1737 was appointed judge of the vice-admiralty court by Governor George Thomas
, the only office he held at the time of his death.
and John Kearsley, were appointed to a committee to decide upon plans for the building, select a site for construction, and hire contractors. Hamilton, in company with his son-in-law, William Allen
, purchased the ground now lying within Independence Square, whereon to erect “a suitable building” to be used as a legislative hall. Prior to 1729, the assembly met in a private residence.
Andrew Hamilton is often credited for the design of Independence Hall (then known as the Pennsylvania State House). It is more likely that his designs were only for initial planning and he was not the creator of the final plans. Beginning in 1732, Edmund Woolley
was responsible for the finalized design and construction of the Pennsylvania State House, a project that employed Woolley and his apprentices well into the 1750s. The statehouse was not completed until after Hamilton's death, and the conveyance of the land to the province was made by his son and son-in-law.
building, which is now used by the Community College of Philadelphia
. This estate was left to his son James Hamilton
after his death, who in turn would leave the land and manor to his nephew William Hamilton.
and contained much of present day West Philadelphia. He left it to his son Andrew, who only survived him by six years. The next to inherit the land and use it would be the younger Andrew Hamilton's son, William Hamilton.
were among the founders of Lancaster
, which became the fourth county in the province of Pennsylvania
in 1729. The community was located on a 500-acre (2 km²) tract owned by Hamilton, on which he laid out Lancaster Townstead around 1730. By 1734, James, now proprietor of Lancaster town, won a seat in the Assembly and became the political leader of the county, and in 1742, secured the original charter of government, which gave the settlement the status of borough (this charter can be found today in the city clerk’s office).
published an editorial of appreciation for the man in his Pennsylvania Gazette.
was born; he went on to become a mayor of Philadelphia and a governor of the Pennsylvania colony. In 1713, Hamilton’s last son, also named Andrew Hamilton, was born.
Margaret Hamilton married William Allen
on February 16, 1734. William and Margaret would have six children together
. Andrew Hamilton had a close working relationship with his son-in-law. They both worked in the Philadelphia and Pennsylvania governments. Along with James Hamilton, they acquired the land for the state house, now Independence Hall
, and its surrounding yard.
Andrew Hamilton, the younger, married Mary Till on December 24, 1741. She was the daughter of William Till
, a businessman and gentleman of consequence in Pennsylvania and Delaware, and Mary Till nee’ Lillingston, the step-granddaughter of Berkeley Codd, the same lawyer in Delaware that the elder Andrew Hamilton had faced against in court in 1712. Andrew Hamilton II and Mary Till Hamilton had two sons, Andrew Hamilton and William Hamilton.
was named after Andrew Hamilton, original owner of the site in Lancaster.
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
lawyer
Lawyer
A lawyer, according to Black's Law Dictionary, is "a person learned in the law; as an attorney, counsel or solicitor; a person who is practicing law." Law is the system of rules of conduct established by the sovereign government of a society to correct wrongs, maintain the stability of political...
in Colonial America
Colonial America
The colonial history of the United States covers the history from the start of European settlement and especially the history of the thirteen colonies of Britain until they declared independence in 1776. In the late 16th century, England, France, Spain and the Netherlands launched major...
, best known for his legal victory on behalf of printer and newspaper
Newspaper
A newspaper is a scheduled publication containing news of current events, informative articles, diverse features and advertising. It usually is printed on relatively inexpensive, low-grade paper such as newsprint. By 2007, there were 6580 daily newspapers in the world selling 395 million copies a...
publisher John Peter Zenger
John Peter Zenger
John Peter Zenger was a German-American printer, publisher, editor, and journalist in New York City. He was a defendant in a landmark legal case in American jurisprudence that determined that truth was a defense against charges of libel and "laid the foundation for American press freedom."-...
. This 1735 decision helped to establish that truth is a defense to an accusation of libel. His eloquent defense was concluded with the notion that the press has "a liberty both of exposing and opposing tyrannical power by speaking and writing truth." His success in this case has been said to have given rise to the expression "Philadelphia lawyer
Philadelphia lawyer
Philadelphia Lawyer is a term to describe a lawyer who knows the most detailed and minute points of law or is an exceptionally competent lawyer. Its first usage dates back to 1788....
", in the sense of a particularly adept and clever attorney, as in "It would take a Philadelphia lawyer to get him off."
Emigration to Virginia
He seems to have kept secret his parentage, career, and real name in the Old World. At one time he was called Trent, although he returned to his original name when Queen AnneQueen Anne
"Queen Anne" generally refers to Anne, Queen of Great Britain , Queen of England, Scotland and Ireland from 1702, and of Great Britain from 1707.Queen Anne may also refer to:-Uses relating to Queen Anne of Great Britain:...
came to the throne in 1702. In his address to the Pennsylvania assembly in 1739, he speaks of “liberty, the love of which as it first drew me to, so it constantly prevailed on me to reside in this Province, tho' to the manifest prejudice of my fortune.” Probably, Hamilton was his real name, but, for private reasons, he saw fit to discard it for a time. About 1697, he came to Accomac County, Virginia. There he continued his study of law and taught a classical school. He later obtained employment as steward of a plantation owned by one of his former students, Joseph Preeson. After Preeson’s death in 1705, Hamilton continued working the Preeson estate. This led to his marriage, on March 6, 1706, with the widow of the estate, Ann Preeson, a daughter of Thomas and Susanna Denwood Brown, who were members of a prominent Quaker family. The marriage is said to have brought Hamilton influential connections, and he began the practice of the law.
Two years after his marriage, on March 26, 1708, Hamilton purchased from John Toads a 600-acre estate in Maryland known as “Henberry.” It was located on the North side of the Chester River
Chester River
The Chester River is a major tributary of the Chesapeake Bay on the Delmarva Peninsula. It is about long, and its watershed encompasses , which includes of land. Thus the total watershed area is 20% water. It forms the border between Kent County and Queen Anne's County, Maryland, with its...
in Kent County, Maryland
Kent County, Maryland
Kent County is a county located in the U.S. state of Maryland, on its Eastern Shore. It was named for the county of Kent in England. Its county seat is Chestertown. In 2010, the county population was 20,197...
. Current day Millington, Maryland
Millington, Maryland
Millington is a town in Kent and Queen Anne's counties in the U.S. state of Maryland. The population was 416 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Millington is located at ....
is situated in the area that Henberry used to encompass. He still had residence in Virginia as he was working in both colonies at the time.
Early career
It was not until 1712, at age 36, that Hamilton had established himself in Chestertown, MarylandChestertown, Maryland
Chestertown is a town in Kent County, Maryland, United States. The population was 4,746 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Kent County. The ZIP code is 21620 and the area codes are 410 and 443...
with a reputable and lucrative law practice. During this year, Andrew Hamilton traveled to London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
in order to gain higher rank and favor in his profession. On January 27, he joined the legal society of Gray’s Inn, one of the four societies for barristers in London. Two weeks later on February 10, he was called before the English Bar. At the end of the year, during the winter of 1712/13, William Penn
William Penn
William Penn was an English real estate entrepreneur, philosopher, and founder of the Province of Pennsylvania, the English North American colony and the future Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. He was an early champion of democracy and religious freedom, notable for his good relations and successful...
hired Hamilton in a replevin
Replevin
In creditors' rights law, replevin, sometimes known as "claim and delivery," is a legal remedy for a person to recover goods unlawfully withheld from his or her possession, by means of a special form of legal process in which a court may require a defendant to return specific goods to the...
case against Berkeley Codd, Esq. Codd disputed some of Penn’s rights under his grant from the Duke of York, who would later become King James II. This started the long and friendly relationship between Andrew Hamilton and the Penn family.
His trip to London and continued work in the colony of Pennsylvania and with the Penn family raised Hamilton to higher prominence. He came to the attention of both the Baltimore family and the government of the Maryland colony. In April 1715, he was chosen as a deputy to Maryland's House of Delegates
Maryland House of Delegates
The Maryland House of Delegates is the lower house of the General Assembly, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Maryland, and is composed of 141 Delegates elected from 47 districts. The House chamber is located in the state capitol building on State Circle in Annapolis...
from Kent County
Kent County, Maryland
Kent County is a county located in the U.S. state of Maryland, on its Eastern Shore. It was named for the county of Kent in England. Its county seat is Chestertown. In 2010, the county population was 20,197...
. Hamilton himself was presenting cases before the Pennsylvania Supreme Court on April 29, 1715. He did not return to Maryland or learn of his election until May 5, 1715. Hamilton then took the oath of office, test, and abjuration. This happened the day of his return because of his arrest by the House due to his delayed return. The explanation that he was one hundred miles from his home in Chestertown and unable to return was accepted though he still had to pay a total of sixty-five shillings to officials as a fine. Placed on the Committee of Laws, Hamilton was charged with the organization and codification of the Maryland colony's judiciary laws. By May 14,1715, Hamilton had helped put together a series of laws that became the Act of 1715. This Act would form the basis of the law for Maryland until the Revolution
American Revolutionary War
The American Revolutionary War , the American War of Independence, or simply the Revolutionary War, began as a war between the Kingdom of Great Britain and thirteen British colonies in North America, and ended in a global war between several European great powers.The war was the result of the...
.
At some point during 1715, Hamilton moved to Philadelphia. He and his family occupied Clark Hall, owned by William Clark Jr. and Rebecca Clark, and managed by their relative Clement Plumsted
Clement Plumsted
Clement Plumsted was Mayor of Philadelphia in 1723, 1736, and 1741. He also served as a Philadelphia councilman, alderman, and justice, as well as on the Pennsylvania provincial council. He was the father of William Plumsted, who also served as mayor of Philadelphia....
. It was located at the corner of Third and Chestnut Streets.
Philadelphia lawyer
On September 7, 1717, Hamilton was made attorney-general of Pennsylvania by Governor William KeithWilliam Keith (Colonial Governor)
Sir William Keith, Bt was a lieutenant-governor of colonial Pennsylvania and Delaware.Keith was born in Boddam Castle near Peterhead, Scotland to Sir William Keith, Baronet, of Ludquhairn, Scotland and Lady Jean Keith. He was baptised on 16 February 1680. As eldest son, he stood to inherit the...
. In March, 1721, he was called to the provincial council, and accepted on condition that his duties should not interfere with his practice. Hamilton resigned the office in 1724, and traveled to London to oversee the formal approval of William Penn’s will on behalf of the Penn family.
The killing of a Native American by a man named Cartledge in an area outside the boundaries of Philadelphia County
Philadelphia County, Pennsylvania
-History:Tribes of Lenape were the first known occupants in the area which became Philadelphia County. The first European settlers were Swedes and Finns who arrived in 1638. The Netherlands seized the area in 1655, but permanently lost control to England in 1674...
created tension between the tribes in the area and the colonists. There was a fear of violence erupting unless Cartledge could be brought to trial. A new Court Act was deemed necessary and created under the advisement and supervision of Hamilton, as Attorney-General, and the Chief Justice, David Lloyd
David Lloyd (judge)
David Lloyd was an American lawyer and politician from colonial Chester, Pennsylvania. He was William Penn's personal lawyer, Attorney General of Pennsylvania and a member of the Popular or Quaker party who served in the Pennsylvania General Assembly, including six terms as its Speaker...
. Lloyd's older laws were consolidated into the Judiciary Act of 1722, which was passed by Governor Keith on May 22,1722. One feature allowed the Chief Justice to act as a justice of the peace
Justice of the Peace
A justice of the peace is a puisne judicial officer elected or appointed by means of a commission to keep the peace. Depending on the jurisdiction, they might dispense summary justice or merely deal with local administrative applications in common law jurisdictions...
anywhere in the colony if conditions called for it, a clear response to the Cartledge situation. With the continued fear of the Iroquois
Iroquois
The Iroquois , also known as the Haudenosaunee or the "People of the Longhouse", are an association of several tribes of indigenous people of North America...
nation's response to the situation, the Native American killed had been of the Seneca people, Lloyd prepared for a trial on Cartledge. However, a letter from the Iroquois received on July 30,1722 urged that Cartledge be forgiven. At once the Assembly ordered one-hundred pounds set aside for expenses and one-hundred pounds for gifts and had Hamilton in his position as Attorney-General, Judge Hill, and a Mr. Norris act as a committee to visit the five nations.
In 1727 was appointed prothonotary
Prothonotary
The word prothonotary is recorded in English since 1447, as "principal clerk of a court," from L.L. prothonotarius , from Greek protonotarios "first scribe," originally the chief of the college of recorders of the court of the Byzantine Empire, from Greek protos "first" + Latin notarius ; the -h-...
of the Supreme Court
Supreme Court of Pennsylvania
The Supreme Court of Pennsylvania is the court of last resort for the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. It meets in Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, and Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.-History:...
, Master of the Rolls, and Recorder of Philadelphia. He was elected to the Pennsylvania Provincial Assembly from Bucks County in the same year, chosen speaker in 1729, and re-elected annually until his retirement in 1739, with the exception of a single year, 1733.
Zenger case
The crowning glory of Hamilton's professional career was his defense of John Peter Zenger in 1735, which he undertook pro bonoPro bono
Pro bono publico is a Latin phrase generally used to describe professional work undertaken voluntarily and without payment or at a reduced fee as a public service. It is common in the legal profession and is increasingly seen in marketing, technology, and strategy consulting firms...
. Zenger was a printer in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
. In his newspaper, Zenger had asserted that judges were arbitrarily displaced, and new courts were erected, without the consent of the legislature, by which trials by jury were taken away when a governor was so disposed. The attorney-general charged him with libel, and Zenger's lawyers, objecting to the legality of the judge's commissions, were stricken from the list of attorneys.
Fearing that the advocate, who had subsequently been appointed by the court, might be overawed by the bench, at the head of which was Chief Justice De Lancey, a member of the governor's council, Hamilton voluntarily went to New York and appeared in the case. He admitted the printing and publishing of the article but advanced the doctrine, novel at the time, that the truth of the facts in the alleged libel could be set up as a defense and that in this proceeding the jury were judges of both the law and the facts.
The offer of evidence to prove the truth of Zenger's statements was rejected, but Hamilton then appealed to the jury to say from the evidence that they had met with in their daily lives that the contents of the defendant's article were true. His eloquence secured a verdict of “not guilty.”
The people of New York and the other colonies hailed the verdict with delight, since it insured free discussion of the conduct of public men. Gouverneur Morris
Gouverneur Morris
Gouverneur Morris , was an American statesman, a Founding Father of the United States, and a native of New York City who represented Pennsylvania in the Constitutional Convention of 1787. He was a signatory to the Articles of Confederation. Morris was also an author of large sections of the...
referred to Hamilton as “the day-star of the American Revolution,” and the common council of New York passed a resolution thanking him for his services, and presented him with the freedom of the city. In addition, a group of prominent residents contributed to the production of a 5½-ounce gold box that was presented to Hamilton as a lasting mark of their gratitude to him. His fame spread to England, an account of the trial passing through four editions there within three months.
Later career
On May 12, 1732, Thomas PennThomas Penn
Thomas Penn was a son of William Penn, founder of the Province of Pennsylvania, the English North American colony that became the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. Thomas Penn was born in Bristol, England after his father returned there in 1701 because of financial difficulties...
, John Penn
John Penn ("the American")
John Penn was a proprietor of colonial Pennsylvania. He was the eldest son of the colony's founder, William Penn, by his second wife, Hannah Callowhill Penn...
and Richard Penn
Richard Penn, Sr.
Richard Penn was a proprietary and titular governor of the province of Pennsylvania and the counties of New Castle, Kent, and Sussex on the Delaware River....
, as the proprietors of Pennsylvania, signed an order to create a commission. This order was directed to prominent figures in colonial Pennsylvania and Philadelphia including Hamilton as well as Governor Gordon
Patrick Gordon (governor)
Patrick Gordon was Deputy Governor of the Province of Pennsylvania and the Lower Counties on the Delaware from 22 June 1726 to 4 August 1736. He was deputy to the Proprietors of Pennsylvania, the heirs of William Penn, rather than to a governor...
, Isaac Norris
Isaac Norris
Isaac Norris was a merchant and prominent figure in provincial Pennsylvania, including mayor of Philadelphia in 1724.He was born in London, England, but his father, Thomas, moved to Jamaica when Isaac was seven years old...
, Samuel Preston
Samuel Preston (mayor)
Samuel Preston was a jurist, merchant, and mayor of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.He was brought up as a Quaker...
, and James Logan
James Logan (statesman)
James Logan , a statesman and scholar, was born in Lurgan, County Armagh, Ireland of Scottish descent and Quaker parentage. In 1689, the Logan family moved to Bristol, England where, in 1693, James replaced his father as schoolmaster...
, Esquires, and to the gentlemen James Steel and Robert Charles. The commission, which was to be made up of at least three or more of these individuals, was given full power on behalf of the proprietors for the “running, marking, and laying out” of any boundary between Pennsylvania and Maryland
Maryland
Maryland is a U.S. state located in the Mid Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware to its east...
. This was in accordance to the agreement signed between the Penn brothers and Charles Calvert, 5th Baron Baltimore
Charles Calvert, 5th Baron Baltimore
Charles Calvert, 5th Baron Baltimore, 3rd Proprietor and 17th Proprietary Governor of Maryland, FRS was a British nobleman and Proprietary Governor of the Province of Maryland...
on May 10, 1732.
From 1736 to his death in 1741, Hamilton was the mentor of young Benjamin Chew
Benjamin Chew
Benjamin Chew was a third-generation American, a Quaker-born legal scholar, a prominent and successful Philadelphia lawyer, head of the Pennsylvania Judiciary System under both Colony and Commonwealth, and Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of the Province of Pennsylvania...
, who later became Attorney General and Chief Justice of Pennsylvania. Hamilton was for many years a trustee of the general loan-office, the province's agency for issuing paper money, and in 1737 was appointed judge of the vice-admiralty court by Governor George Thomas
George Thomas
George Thomas may refer to:*George Thomas, 1st Viscount Tonypandy , British Labour Party politician, Speaker of the House of Commons*George Thomas , American baseball player*George Thomas...
, the only office he held at the time of his death.
Independence Hall
By the Spring of 1729 the citizens of Philadelphia were petitioning to be allowed to erect a state house. A sum of two thousand pounds was raised for the proposal. Andrew Hamilton, along with Thomas LawrenceThomas Lawrence (mayor)
Thomas Lawrence was a merchant and a mayor of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.Born in New York City, he came around 1720 to Philadelphia, where, for the rest of his life, Lawrence was engaged in the mercantile business...
and John Kearsley, were appointed to a committee to decide upon plans for the building, select a site for construction, and hire contractors. Hamilton, in company with his son-in-law, William Allen
William Allen
- Politicians :* William Allen , Canadian politician from Toronto* William Allen , American congressman from Ohio* William Allen , American politician from Ohio...
, purchased the ground now lying within Independence Square, whereon to erect “a suitable building” to be used as a legislative hall. Prior to 1729, the assembly met in a private residence.
Andrew Hamilton is often credited for the design of Independence Hall (then known as the Pennsylvania State House). It is more likely that his designs were only for initial planning and he was not the creator of the final plans. Beginning in 1732, Edmund Woolley
Edmund Woolley
Edmund Woolley was an early American architect and master carpenter. He was responsible for designing and erecting the first building on the University of Pennsylvania's first campus, the Pennsylvania State House and Hope Lodge. Woolley was born in England around 1695, and emigrated to America...
was responsible for the finalized design and construction of the Pennsylvania State House, a project that employed Woolley and his apprentices well into the 1750s. The statehouse was not completed until after Hamilton's death, and the conveyance of the land to the province was made by his son and son-in-law.
Bush Hill, The Woodlands, and Lancaster County, PA
For his legal work formalizing William Penn’s will in London from 1724-1726, Hamilton was awarded land in 1726 and 1729 by the Pennsylvania proprietors; William Penn’s widow Hannah Penn and sons, Richard Penn, Thomas Penn, and John Penn. Hamilton also took this time to purchase from Stephen Jackson a portion of land from the Springettsburg Manor. These gifts and purchases added up to 153 acres of land, which Hamilton received a patent for in 1734.Bush Hill
The Bush Hill estate contained the land that is now bound by 12th Street to the East, 19th Street to the West, Vine Street to the South, and what is now Fairmont Avenue but was once Coates Street to the North. The manor itself was located on what is now the southern side of Spring Garden Street near the old Philadelphia MintPhiladelphia Mint
The Philadelphia Mint was created from the need to establish a national identity and the needs of commerce in the United States. This led the Founding Fathers of the United States to make an establishment of a continental national mint a main priority after the ratification of the Constitution of...
building, which is now used by the Community College of Philadelphia
Community College of Philadelphia
The Community College of Philadelphia is a community college in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. The main campus is located at 1700 Spring Garden Street in a building that was the former Philadelphia Mint...
. This estate was left to his son James Hamilton
James Hamilton (Pennsylvania)
James Hamilton , son of the well-known Philadelphia lawyer Andrew Hamilton, was a prominent lawyer and governmental figure in colonial Philadelphia and Pennsylvania.-Life:...
after his death, who in turn would leave the land and manor to his nephew William Hamilton.
The Woodlands
The Woodlands was a large area of land given to Hamilton that was located on the Western side of the Schuylkill RiverSchuylkill River
The Schuylkill River is a river in Pennsylvania. It is a designated Pennsylvania Scenic River.The river is about long. Its watershed of about lies entirely within the state of Pennsylvania. The source of its eastern branch is in the Appalachian Mountains at Tuscarora Springs, near Tamaqua in...
and contained much of present day West Philadelphia. He left it to his son Andrew, who only survived him by six years. The next to inherit the land and use it would be the younger Andrew Hamilton's son, William Hamilton.
Lancaster, PA
Hamilton and his son JamesJames Hamilton (Pennsylvania)
James Hamilton , son of the well-known Philadelphia lawyer Andrew Hamilton, was a prominent lawyer and governmental figure in colonial Philadelphia and Pennsylvania.-Life:...
were among the founders of Lancaster
Lancaster County, Pennsylvania
Lancaster County, known as the Garden Spot of America or Pennsylvania Dutch Country, is a county located in the southeastern part of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, in the United States. As of 2010 the population was 519,445. Lancaster County forms the Lancaster Metropolitan Statistical Area, the...
, which became the fourth county in the province of Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
in 1729. The community was located on a 500-acre (2 km²) tract owned by Hamilton, on which he laid out Lancaster Townstead around 1730. By 1734, James, now proprietor of Lancaster town, won a seat in the Assembly and became the political leader of the county, and in 1742, secured the original charter of government, which gave the settlement the status of borough (this charter can be found today in the city clerk’s office).
Later life
Andrew Hamilton's wife Anne is believed to have died around the year 1736. He himself died in Philadelphia at his country seat of Bush Hill and was at first buried on that property. After the sale of his estate in the 1800s, Hamilton and the remains of his family were later moved to a spacious mausoleum currently located at Christ Church.. On August 6, two days after Hamilton’s death, Benjamin FranklinBenjamin Franklin
Dr. Benjamin Franklin was one of the Founding Fathers of the United States. A noted polymath, Franklin was a leading author, printer, political theorist, politician, postmaster, scientist, musician, inventor, satirist, civic activist, statesman, and diplomat...
published an editorial of appreciation for the man in his Pennsylvania Gazette.
Family and immediate descendents
During the early years after his marriage Hamilton saw the growth of his family. Margaret Hamilton, his first child, was born in 1709. Circa 1711, Hamilton’s second child and first son James HamiltonJames Hamilton (Pennsylvania)
James Hamilton , son of the well-known Philadelphia lawyer Andrew Hamilton, was a prominent lawyer and governmental figure in colonial Philadelphia and Pennsylvania.-Life:...
was born; he went on to become a mayor of Philadelphia and a governor of the Pennsylvania colony. In 1713, Hamilton’s last son, also named Andrew Hamilton, was born.
Margaret Hamilton married William Allen
William Allen (loyalist)
William Allen was a wealthy merchant, Chief Justice of the Province of Pennsylvania, and mayor of Philadelphia. At the time of the American Revolution, Allen was one of the wealthiest and most powerful men in Philadelphia...
on February 16, 1734. William and Margaret would have six children together
Family of William Allen (loyalist)
On February 16, 1734, William Allen married Margaret Hamilton, daughter of Andrew Hamilton, famed defense lawyer in the John Peter Zenger case of 1735, and brother of James Hamilton. William and Margaret had six children: John, Andrew, James, William, Anne and Margaret...
. Andrew Hamilton had a close working relationship with his son-in-law. They both worked in the Philadelphia and Pennsylvania governments. Along with James Hamilton, they acquired the land for the state house, now Independence Hall
Independence Hall
Independence Hall is the centerpiece of Independence National Historical Park located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States, on Chestnut Street between 5th and 6th Streets...
, and its surrounding yard.
Andrew Hamilton, the younger, married Mary Till on December 24, 1741. She was the daughter of William Till
William Till
William Till was a colonial-era American politician, jurist, and merchant.He settled in Sussex County, Delaware around 1720 and served in the provincial assembly and as a Justice of the Peace. Till served as mayor of Philadelphia , as chief justice of the Delaware Supreme Court , and later served...
, a businessman and gentleman of consequence in Pennsylvania and Delaware, and Mary Till nee’ Lillingston, the step-granddaughter of Berkeley Codd, the same lawyer in Delaware that the elder Andrew Hamilton had faced against in court in 1712. Andrew Hamilton II and Mary Till Hamilton had two sons, Andrew Hamilton and William Hamilton.
Legacy
The Hamilton Watch CompanyHamilton Watch Company
The Hamilton Watch Company was originally formed to produce high quality pocket watches and wristwatches mid-range and luxury. Hamilton would become a corporate conglomerate diversified in other operations...
was named after Andrew Hamilton, original owner of the site in Lancaster.
External links
- Article at Philadelphia Reflections
- Article at Encyclopedia.com
- Andrew Hamilton Esq. A site dedicated to emerging research on Andrew Hamilton, Esq.