Sir George Hamilton, 1st Baronet
Encyclopedia
Sir George Clements Hamilton, 1st Baronet (1 November 1877 – 12 January 1947) was an English
electrical engineer
and Conservative Party
politician.
Born in Northumberland
, he was the son of a prominent Church of England cleric, the Venerable George Hans Hamilton, Archdeacon of Lindisfarne and Canon of Durham
and his wife Lady Louisa Hamilton.
and Charterhouse School
, he was apprenticed
to the firm of Scott & Mountain Ltd, a Newcastle
-based electrical and general engineering company. He represented the company in various countries including India, Bulgaria, Greece, Russia and Egypt. He subsequently became the managing director of the Manchester
branch of Drake & Gorham, electrical engineers.
He married Eleanor Simon of Didsbury
in 1906, and they had one son and one daughter.
he was commissioned as an officer in the Queen's Westminster Rifles, the 16th Battalion of the London Regiment
, rising to the rank of major. In October 1916 he was transferred to the General List. He was appointed Director of Enrolment National Service in 1917 and Controller of Contract Claims at the Ministry of Munitions in 1918.
and was elected to the Commons as Conservative Member of Parliament
(MP) for Altrincham
. He served as Parliamentary Private Secretary to the Minister of Pensions from 1919–20. He held the seat until 1923. He returned to parliament at another by-election at Ilford
in 1928. He resigned from the House of Commons
in 1937.
He was knight
ed in 1922, and made a baronet
in 1937 "for political and public services".
, near Saxmundham
in Suffolk
. He became a member of East Suffolk
County Council, and was chairman of two companies: the Expanded Metal Company and the National Group of Fixed Trusts.
He died at Cransford in January 1947, aged 69.
English people
The English are a nation and ethnic group native to England, who speak English. The English identity is of early mediaeval origin, when they were known in Old English as the Anglecynn. England is now a country of the United Kingdom, and the majority of English people in England are British Citizens...
electrical engineer
Electrical engineering
Electrical engineering is a field of engineering that generally deals with the study and application of electricity, electronics and electromagnetism. The field first became an identifiable occupation in the late nineteenth century after commercialization of the electric telegraph and electrical...
and Conservative Party
Conservative Party (UK)
The Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House...
politician.
Born in Northumberland
Northumberland
Northumberland is the northernmost ceremonial county and a unitary district in North East England. For Eurostat purposes Northumberland is a NUTS 3 region and is one of three boroughs or unitary districts that comprise the "Northumberland and Tyne and Wear" NUTS 2 region...
, he was the son of a prominent Church of England cleric, the Venerable George Hans Hamilton, Archdeacon of Lindisfarne and Canon of Durham
Durham Cathedral
The Cathedral Church of Christ, Blessed Mary the Virgin and St Cuthbert of Durham is a cathedral in the city of Durham, England, the seat of the Anglican Bishop of Durham. The Bishopric dates from 995, with the present cathedral being founded in AD 1093...
and his wife Lady Louisa Hamilton.
Early career and family
Following education at Aysgarth SchoolAysgarth School
Aysgarth School is one of the leading boys' prep boarding schools in the UK. Aysgarth School is set in the foothills of the Yorkshire Dales near Bedale, North Yorkshire and is the only all-boys boarding and day prep school in the north of England. This independent school was founded in 1877 to...
and Charterhouse School
Charterhouse School
Charterhouse School, originally The Hospital of King James and Thomas Sutton in Charterhouse, or more simply Charterhouse or House, is an English collegiate independent boarding school situated at Godalming in Surrey.Founded by Thomas Sutton in London in 1611 on the site of the old Carthusian...
, he was apprenticed
Apprenticeship
Apprenticeship is a system of training a new generation of practitioners of a skill. Apprentices or protégés build their careers from apprenticeships...
to the firm of Scott & Mountain Ltd, a Newcastle
Newcastle upon Tyne
Newcastle upon Tyne is a city and metropolitan borough of Tyne and Wear, in North East England. Historically a part of Northumberland, it is situated on the north bank of the River Tyne...
-based electrical and general engineering company. He represented the company in various countries including India, Bulgaria, Greece, Russia and Egypt. He subsequently became the managing director of the Manchester
Manchester
Manchester is a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. According to the Office for National Statistics, the 2010 mid-year population estimate for Manchester was 498,800. Manchester lies within one of the UK's largest metropolitan areas, the metropolitan county of Greater...
branch of Drake & Gorham, electrical engineers.
He married Eleanor Simon of Didsbury
Didsbury
Didsbury is a suburban area of the City of Manchester, in Greater Manchester, England. It lies on the north bank of the River Mersey, south of Manchester city centre, in the southern half of the Greater Manchester Urban Area...
in 1906, and they had one son and one daughter.
War service
During World War IWorld War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
he was commissioned as an officer in the Queen's Westminster Rifles, the 16th Battalion of the London Regiment
London Regiment
The London Regiment is a Territorial Army regiment in the British Army. It was first formed in 1908 in order to regiment the various Volunteer Force battalions in the newly formed County of London, each battalion having a distinctive uniform. The Volunteer Force was merged with the Yeomanry in 1908...
, rising to the rank of major. In October 1916 he was transferred to the General List. He was appointed Director of Enrolment National Service in 1917 and Controller of Contract Claims at the Ministry of Munitions in 1918.
Political career
In 1913 he won a by-electionAltrincham by-election, 1913
The Altrincham by-election was held on 28 May 1913. The contest took place following the resignation of John Robert Kebty-Fletcher, the sitting Conservative member of parliament for Altrincham....
and was elected to the Commons as Conservative Member of Parliament
Member of Parliament
A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
(MP) for Altrincham
Altrincham (UK Parliament constituency)
Altrincham was a county constituency of the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1885 to 1945. It elected one Member of Parliament by the first past the post system of election.- Boundaries :...
. He served as Parliamentary Private Secretary to the Minister of Pensions from 1919–20. He held the seat until 1923. He returned to parliament at another by-election at Ilford
Ilford (UK Parliament constituency)
Ilford was a borough constituency in what is now the London Borough of Redbridge in east London. It returned one Member of Parliament to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom...
in 1928. He resigned from the House of Commons
Resignation from the British House of Commons
Members of Parliament sitting in the House of Commons in the United Kingdom are technically forbidden to resign. To circumvent this prohibition, a legal fiction is used...
in 1937.
He was knight
Knight Bachelor
The rank of Knight Bachelor is a part of the British honours system. It is the most basic rank of a man who has been knighted by the monarch but not as a member of one of the organised Orders of Chivalry...
ed in 1922, and made a baronet
Baronet
A baronet or the rare female equivalent, a baronetess , is the holder of a hereditary baronetcy awarded by the British Crown...
in 1937 "for political and public services".
Later life
Hamilton moved to Cransford HallCransford
Cransford is a village and a civil parish in the Suffolk Coastal District, in the English county of Suffolk. It is near the small town of Framlingham. Cransford has 2 places of worship.- References :* http://www.ukvillages.co.uk/Place/6725/Cransford-Suffolk...
, near Saxmundham
Saxmundham
Saxmundham is a small market town in Suffolk, England. It is set in the valley of the River Fromus, a tributary of the River Alde, approximately northeast of Ipswich and west of the coast at Sizewell. The town is bypassed by the A12 and is served by Saxmundham railway station on the East Suffolk...
in Suffolk
Suffolk
Suffolk is a non-metropolitan county of historic origin in East Anglia, England. It has borders with Norfolk to the north, Cambridgeshire to the west and Essex to the south. The North Sea lies to the east...
. He became a member of East Suffolk
East Suffolk
East Suffolk, along with West Suffolk, was created in 1888 as an administrative county of England. The administrative county was based on the eastern quarter sessions division of Suffolk...
County Council, and was chairman of two companies: the Expanded Metal Company and the National Group of Fixed Trusts.
He died at Cransford in January 1947, aged 69.