Alexander Hamilton, 10th Duke of Hamilton: Difference between revisions

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{{Short description|Scottish politician}}

'''Alexander Hamilton, 10th Duke of Hamilton, 7th Duke of Brandon''' [[Knight of the Garter|KG]] [[Privy Council of the United Kingdom|PC]] [[Fellow of the Royal Society|FRS]] [[Society of Antiquaries of London|FSA]] ([[3 October]] [[1767]] – [[18 August]] [[1852]]) was a [[Scotland|Scottish]] [[politician]].

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{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2014}}

{{infobox noble

| name= {{small|[[His Grace]]}} <br /> The Duke of Hamilton

| honorific-suffix = [[Knight of the Garter|KG]] [[Privy Council of the United Kingdom|PC]] [[Fellow of the Royal Society|FRS]] [[Society of Antiquaries of London|FSA]]

| image = Alexander Douglas-Hamilton, 10th Duke of Hamilton and 7th Duke of Brandon (1767-1852) by Henry Raeburn (1756-1823).jpg

| caption = The 10th Duke of Hamilton, by [[Henry Raeburn]]

| birth_date = {{birth date|df=yes|1767|10|3}}

| birth_place = St. James Square, [[London]], England

| death_date = {{death date and age|df=yes|1852|8|18|1767|10|3}}

| death_place = 12 Portman Square, London, England

| resting_place = Bent Cemetery, [[Hamilton, South Lanarkshire|Hamilton]]

| succession = 10th [[Duke of Hamilton]] <br/> 7th [[Duke of Brandon]]

| tenure = 1819–1852

| other_titles =

| offices = [[Lord Lieutenant of Lanarkshire]]

| predecessor = [[Archibald Hamilton, 9th Duke of Hamilton|Archibald Hamilton]]

| successor = [[William Hamilton, 11th Duke of Hamilton|William Hamilton]]

| spouse = [[Susan Hamilton, Duchess of Hamilton|Susan Euphemia Beckford]]

| issue = [[William Hamilton, 11th Duke of Hamilton]]<br />[[Lady Susan Hamilton|Lady Susan de Beeck]]

| parents = [[Archibald Hamilton, 9th Duke of Hamilton]]<br />Lady Harriet Stewart

}}

'''Alexander Hamilton, 10th Duke of Hamilton, 7th Duke of Brandon''' (3 October 1767 – 18 August 1852), styled as the '''Earl of Angus''' until 1799 and '''Marquess of Douglas and Clydesdale''' from 1799–1819, was a Scottish politician and art collector.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.nms.ac.uk/our_collections/highlights/the_tea_service_of_the_emperor.aspx|title=Alexander, 10th Duke of Hamilton, the premier peer of Scotland and one of the greatest collectors in the history of Scotland|publisher=National Museums Scotland|accessdate=30 September 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100913070621/http://www.nms.ac.uk/our_collections/highlights/the_tea_service_of_the_emperor.aspx|archive-date=13 September 2010|url-status=dead|df=dmy-all}}</ref>

Hamilton's political career began in [[1802]], when he became [[Member of Parliament|MP]] for [[Lancaster, England|Lancaster]]. He remained in the [[British House of Commons|House of Commons]] until [[1806]], when he was appointed to the [[Privy Council of the United Kingdom|Privy Council]], and Ambassador to the court of St. Petersburg until [[1807]]; additionally, he was [[Lord Lieutenant of Lanarkshire]] from 1802 to [[1852]]. He received the numerous titles at his father's death in [[1819]]. He was [[Lord High Steward]] at [[King of England|King]] [[William IV of the United Kingdom|William IV's]] [[List of coronations of British monarchs|coronation]] in [[1831]] and Queen [[Victoria of the United Kingdom|Victoria's]] coronation in [[1838]]. He became a [[Knight of the Garter]] in [[1836]].

== Life ==

Hamilton had a strong interest in [[Ancient Egypt]]ian [[mummy|mummies]], and was so impressed with the work of mummy expert [[Thomas Pettigrew]] that he arranged for Pettigrew to mummify him after his death. In accordance with his wishes, Hamilton's body was mummified after his death in [[1852]], and placed in a [[sarcophagus]] on his estate.

Born on 3 October 1767 at [[St. James's Square]], London, the eldest son of [[Archibald Hamilton, 9th Duke of Hamilton]], he was educated at [[Harrow School]] and at [[Christ Church, Oxford]], where he matriculated on 4 March 1786. He received his [[Master of Arts (Oxbridge)|MA]] on 18 February 1789.<ref>{{alox2|title=Hamilton, Alexander (2)}}</ref>

Hamilton was a Whig, and his political career began in 1802, when he became [[Member of Parliament (United Kingdom)|MP]] for [[Lancaster, England|Lancaster]]. He remained in the [[British House of Commons|House of Commons]] until 1806, when he was appointed to the [[Privy Council of the United Kingdom|Privy Council]], and Ambassador to the court of St. Petersburg until 1807; additionally, he was [[Lord Lieutenant of Lanarkshire]] from 1802 to 1852. He received the numerous titles at his father's death in 1819. He was [[Lord High Steward]] at [[King of England|King]] [[William IV of the United Kingdom|William IV]]'s [[List of coronations of British monarchs|coronation]] in 1831 and [[Queen Victoria]]'s coronation in 1838, and remains the last person to have undertaken this duty twice. He became a [[Knight of the Garter]] in 1836. He held the office of [[List of Grand Master Masons of the Grand Lodge of Scotland|Grand Master Mason]] of the [[Grand Lodge of Scotland|Freemasons of Scotland]] between 1820 and 1822. He held the office of President of the [[Highland and Agricultural Society of Scotland]] between 1827 and 1831. He held the office of Trustee of the [[British Museum]] between 1834 and 1852.

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[[Image:Sir Joshua Reynolds - Master Hamilton (1782).jpg|left|thumb|150px|Alexander Hamilton at age 15, in a painting by [[Joshua Reynolds]].]]

He married [[Susan Hamilton, Duchess of Hamilton|Susan Euphemia Beckford]], daughter of [[William Thomas Beckford]]<ref>[http://www.scotsman.com/lifestyle/heritage/nts-plans-8m-overhaul-of-brodick-castle-1-2912366 NTS plans £8m overhaul of Brodick castle]</ref> and Lady Margaret Gordon, daughter of [[Charles Gordon, 4th Earl of Aboyne]], on 26 April 1810 in London, England.

Hamilton was a well-known dandy of his day. An obituary notice states that "timidity and variableness of temperament prevented his rendering much service to, or being much relied on by his party ... With a great predisposition to over-estimate the importance of ancient birth ... he well deserved to be considered the proudest man in England." He also supported Napoleon and commissioned the painting ''[[Napoleon in his cabinet de travail|The Emperor Napoleon in His Study at the Tuileries]]'' by Jacques-Louis David.

Lord Lamington, in ''The Days of the Dandies'', wrote of him that 'never was such a magnifico as the 10th Duke, the Ambassador to the Empress Catherine; when I knew him he was very old, but held himself straight as any grenadier. He was always dressed in a military laced undress coat, tights and Hessian boots, &c'. Lady Stafford in letters to her son mentioned 'his great Coat, long Queue, and Fingers cover'd with gold Rings', and his foreign appearance. According to another obituary, this time in ''Gentleman's Magazine,'' he had 'an intense family pride'.

==Death and legacy==

[[Image:Alexander, 10th Duke of Hamilton.jpg|thumb|175px|Portrait by [[Willis Maddox]] (1852)]]Hamilton had a strong interest in [[Ancient Egypt]]ian [[mummy|mummies]], and was so impressed with the work of mummy expert [[Thomas Pettigrew]] that he arranged for Pettigrew to mummify him after his death. He died on 18 August 1852 at age 84 at 12 Portman Square, London, England and was buried on 4 September 1852 at [[Hamilton Palace]], [[Hamilton, South Lanarkshire|Hamilton]], Scotland. In accordance with his wishes, Hamilton's body was mummified after his death and placed in a [[sarcophagus]] of the [[Ptolemaic period]] that he had originally acquired in Paris in 1836 ostensibly for the British Museum. At the same time he had acquired the sarcophagus of [[Pabasa]], an important nobleman which is now in the [[Kelvingrove Museum]]. In 1842 Hamilton had begun construction of the [[Hamilton Mausoleum]] as repository for the overcrowded family vault at the Palace. He was interred there with other Dukes of Hamilton, from the 1858 completion of the Mausoleum until 1921 when subsidence and the subsequent demolition of the Palace forced removal of the bodies to the Bent cemetery in Hamilton, where he still lies buried in his sarcophagus.<ref>[http://hamilton.rcahms.gov.uk/demolition14.html RCAHMS reconstruction of Hamilton Palace]</ref><ref>[http://www.scottish-places.info/features/featurefirst9974.html Gazetteer for Scotland- Bent cemetery]</ref>

His collection of paintings, objects, books and manuscripts was sold for £397,562 in July 1882. The manuscripts were purchased by the German government for £80,000. Some were repurchased by the British government and are now in the [[British Museum]].

==Marriage and issue==

In 1810, Hamilton married [[Susan Hamilton, Duchess of Hamilton|Susan Euphemia Beckford]], daughter of novelist [[William Beckford (novelist)|William Beckford]] of [[Fonthill Abbey]], Wiltshire, by Lady Margaret Gordon, daughter of the [[Charles Gordon, 4th Earl of Aboyne|4th Earl of Aboyne]]<ref name="burke">{{cite book |title=A Genealogical and Heraldic History of the Peerage and Baronetage, the Privy Council, Knightage, and Companionage |date=1913 |publisher=Harrison & Sons |page=925 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=GBhBAQAAMAAJ&dq=Alexander+Hamilton,+10th+Duke+of+Hamilton,+7th+Duke+of+Brandon&pg=PA925 |access-date=6 October 2024 |language=en}}</ref>

By his wife, Hamilton had one son and one daughter:

*[[William Hamilton, 11th Duke of Hamilton]] (1811–1863), who married [[Princess Marie Amelie of Baden]]

*[[Lady Susan Hamilton]] (1814–1899), who married 1st, [[Henry Pelham-Clinton, 5th Duke of Newcastle]]; 2nd, Jean Alexis Op de Beeck of Brussels.

==Ancestry==

{{ahnentafel

|collapsed=yes |align=center

|boxstyle_1=background-color: #fcc;

|boxstyle_2=background-color: #fb9;

|boxstyle_3=background-color: #ffc;

|boxstyle_4=background-color: #bfc;

|1= 1. '''Alexander Hamilton, 10th Duke of Hamilton'''

|2= 2. [[Archibald Hamilton, 9th Duke of Hamilton]]

|3= 3. Lady Harriet Stewart

|4= 4. [[James Hamilton, 5th Duke of Hamilton]]

|5= 5. Anne Spencer

|6= 6. [[Alexander Stewart, 6th Earl of Galloway]]

|7= 7. Lady Catherine Cochrane

|8= 8. [[James Hamilton, 4th Duke of Hamilton]]

|9= 9. The Hon. Elizabeth Gerard

|10= 10. Edward Spencer

|11= 11. Anne Baker

|12= 12. James Stewart, 5th Earl of Galloway

|13= 13. Lady Catherine Montgomerie

|14= 14. [[John Cochrane, 4th Earl of Dundonald]]

|15= 15. Lady Anne Murray

}}

==References==

{{reflist}}

==External links==

{{Commons category}}

*{{Hansard-contribs | mr-alexander-hamilton | the Duke of Hamilton }}

*[http://www.npg.org.uk/live/search/portrait.asp?search=ss&sText=10th+duke+of+hamilton&LinkID=mp01995&rNo=1&role=sit Portrait]

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{{succession box | title=[[Member of Parliament]] for [[Lancaster (UK Parliament constituency)|Lancaster]]<br><small> | with = [[John Dent (died 1826)|John Dent]] | before=[[John Dent (died 1826)|John Dent]]<br>and />[[Richard Penn (governor)|Richard Penn]] | after=[[John Dent (died 1826)|John Dent]]<br>and />[[John Fenton-Cawthorne]] | years='''1802&ndash;18061802–1806}}

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{{succession box| title=[[List of Ambassadors of the United Kingdom to Russia|British Ambassador to Russia]] | before=[[William Cathcart, 1st Earl Cathcart|The Earl Cathcart]] | after=[[Granville Leveson-Gower, 1st Earl Granville|Lord Granville Leveson-Gower]] | years=1807}}

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{{succession box|title=[[List of Grand Masters of the Grand Lodge of Scotland|Grand Master of the<br />Grand Lodge of Scotland]]|before=The Prince of Wales ([[George IV of the United Kingdom|George IV]])|after=[[George Campbell, 6th Duke of Argyll|The Duke of Argyll]]|years=1820–1822}}

{{succession box two to two | title1=[[Duke of Hamilton and Brandon]] | before=[[Archibald Hamilton, 9th Duke of Hamilton|Archibald Hamilton]] | after=[[William Alexander Anthony Archibald Hamilton, 11th Duke of Hamilton|William Hamilton]] | years1=1819&ndash;1852 | title2=[[Baron Dutton]]<br><small>([[writ of acceleration]]) | years2='''1806&ndash;1852}}

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{{s-ttl|title=[[Duke of Brandon]]|years=1819–1852}}

{{s-aft|rows=2|after=[[William Hamilton, 11th Duke of Hamilton|William Hamilton]]}}

|-

{{s-ttl|title=[[Baron Dutton]]<br /><small>([[writ in acceleration]])</small>|years=1806–1852}}

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{{Authority control}}

[[Category{{DEFAULTSORT:British diplomats|Hamilton, Alexander, 10th Duke of]] Hamilton}}

[[Category:1767 births]]

[[Category:Members of the United Kingdom Parliament from English constituencies|Douglas and Clydesdale, Alexander Douglas-Hamilton, Marquess of]]

[[Category:1852 deaths]]

[[Category:Lord High Stewards|Hamilton, Alexander Douglas-Hamilton, 10th Duke of]]

[[Category:Nobility from South Lanarkshire]]

[[Category:Alumni of Christ Church, Oxford]]

[[Category:Members of the Parliament of the United Kingdom for English constituencies|Douglas and Clydesdale, Alexander Douglas-Hamilton, Marquess of]]

[[Category:Lord High Stewards]]

[[Category:Dukes of Hamilton|110]]

[[Category:Dukes of Brandon|107]]

[[Category:Marquesses of Douglas|07]]

[[Category:Fellows of the Royal Society|Hamilton, Alexander Douglas-Hamilton, 10th Duke]]

[[Category:KnightsHouse of theDouglas Garter|Hamilton,and Angus|Alexander Douglas-Hamilton, 10th Duke of Hamilton]]

[[Category:Mummies|Hamilton,Fellows Alexanderof Douglas-Hamilton,the 10thRoyal Duke ofSociety]]

[[Category:1767Fellows births|Hamilton,of Alexanderthe Douglas-Hamilton,Society 10thof DukeAntiquaries of London]]

[[Category:1852Garter deaths|Hamilton,Knights Alexanderappointed Douglas-Hamilton,by 10thWilliam Duke ofIV]]

[[Category:Lord-lieutenants of Lanarkshire]]

[[Category:Mummies]]

[[Category:People educated at Harrow School]]

[[Category:UK MPs 1802–1806]]

[[Category:UK MPs who inherited peerages]]

[[Category:Ambassadors of the United Kingdom to the Russian Empire]]

[[Category:Scottish politicians]]

[[Category:Scottish art collectors]]

[[Category:Paintings by Henry Raeburn]]

[[Category:House of Hamilton|Alexander]]