"Bridegroom". Caricature by Spy published in Vanity Fair in 1878.
Rt. Hon. Lord Claud John HamiltonPC (20 February 1843 – 26 January 1925) was a British aristocrat, Member of Parliament (MP), and a noted railway director during the Victorian era.[1]
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
Before turning to political life, Hamilton served in the British Army.[4] He purchased a commission as Ensign & Lieutenant in the Grenadier Guards on 27 May 1862, [5] buying his promotion to Lieutenant & Captain on 8 August 1865,[6] before retiring by sale of his commission on 8 June 1867.[7]
However 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.
[11]
Death
Richmond cemetery
Hamilton underwent major surgery in November 1924. He died at his London home at 28 Cambridge Square, on 26 January 1925.[12] He was buried in Richmond Cemetery.[13] 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.[citation needed]
^Craig, F. W. S. (1989) [1977]. British parliamentary election results 1832–1885 (2nd ed.). Chichester: Parliamentary Research Services. pp. 168, 192. ISBN0-900178-26-4.
^ abCraig, F. W. S. (1989) [1974]. British parliamentary election results 1885–1918 (2nd ed.). Chichester: Parliamentary Research Services. pp. 28, 145. ISBN0-900178-27-2.
^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. ISBN9780752461830.
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