James Hamilton, 2nd Duke of Abercorn

James Hamilton, Marquess of Hamilton, from Vanity Fair 1881

Coat of arms of James Hamilton, 2nd Duke of Abercorn

James Hamilton, 2nd Duke of Abercorn (born August 24, 1838 in Brighton , † January 3, 1913 in London ), was an Irish nobleman and British politician.

Life

James Hamilton was the eldest son of James Hamilton, 2nd Marquess of Abercorn and his wife, Lady Louisa Jane Russell. As his father's apparent marriage he carried the courtesy title Viscount Hamilton and, after his father had been raised to Duke of Abercorn in 1868 , until 1885 the courtesy title Marquess of Hamilton .

He attended Harrow School and studied at Christ Church College of Oxford University .

He was from 1860 to 1880 as Knight of the Shire for County Donegal a member of the House of Commons . He was a member of the Conservative Party . In 1863 he held the office of sheriff of County Tyrone and from 1866 to 1885 the court office of the Lord of the Bedchamber of Edward, Prince of Wales . When his father died in 1885, he inherited his title of nobility as the 2nd Duke of Abercorn and thereby became a member of the House of Lords . In 1885 he also became Lord Lieutenant of County Donegal, and a year later Grand Master of the Grand Lodge of the Freemasons in Ireland. From 1886 to 1891 he held the court office of the Groom of the Stool and in 1887 he was admitted to the Privy Council of Ireland. In 1901, as a special envoy, he officially announced the accession of Edward VII to the throne as an extraordinary envoy to the courts in Berlin, Dresden, Copenhagen, Stockholm and Oslo. James Hamilton was the great-great-grandfather of Diana, Princess of Wales .

Orders and decorations

• 1865: Companion of the Order of the Bath (CB)
• 1892: Knight Companion of the Order of the Garter (KG)

Pedigree

Marriage and offspring

In 1869 he married Mary Anna Curzon (1848–1929), daughter of Richard Curzon-Howe, 1st Earl Howe , with whom he had the following children:

• James Hamilton, 3rd Duke of Abercorn (1869–1953)
• Lord Claude Penn Alexander Hamilton (* / † 1871)
• Lord Charles Hamilton (* / † 1874)
• Lady Alexandra Phyllis Hamilton (1876-1918)
• Lady Claude Francis Hamilton (* / † 1878)
• Lady Gladys Mary Hamilton (1880–1917), ⚭ 1902 Ralph Francis Forward-Howard, 7th Earl of Wicklow
• Lord Arthur John Hamilton (1883-1914)
• Lord Claude Nigel Hamilton (1889–1975), ⚭ 1933 Violet Ruby Ashton

Web links

• James Hamilton, 2nd Duke of Abercorn on thepeerage.com
• Viscount Hamilton at Hansard (English)

predecessor	Office	successor
James Hamilton	Duke of Abercorn 1885-1913	James Hamilton