Robert George Crookshank Hamilton

Sir Robert George Crookshank Hamilton (born August 30, 1836 in Bressay , Shetland Islands , † April 22, 1895 in London ) was a British administrator and Governor of Tasmania from 1887 to 1892 .

Life

Hamilton, son of a pastor, attended King's College of the University of Aberdeen , where he graduated from law school in 1857 . He then took various positions in the War Office , the Ministry of Labor and the Royal Navy and was mostly active as an accountant . In 1868 he published a book on this subject ( book-keeping ), which appeared in at least seven editions until 1899 .

After the Phoenix Park murders , he worked for the Irish government and was named Secretary of State in 1883 . During this time he became an advocate of the Home Rule (the independence of Ireland) and supported the then British Prime Minister William Ewart Gladstone . Hamilton lost his post after the fall of the Gladstone government in 1886.

Hamilton was appointed the next governor of Tasmania a little later - apparently as compensation - and took up his duties in Hobart on March 11, 1887 . During his tenure, he promoted railroad construction and other public construction projects. He also promoted cultural life; soon after his arrival he arranged for lavish celebrations for the queen's birthday. With his help, the University of Tasmania and several schools were founded.

In 1893 Hamilton returned to England. After several activities within the British administration, Hamilton died on April 22, 1895 in South Kensington, London . He was born in Richmond in the county of Surrey (now part of London) buried.

Awards

• Companion of the Order of the Bath (1883)
• Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath (1884)

literature

• Richard Refshauge: Hamilton, Sir Robert George Crookshank . In: Douglas Pike (Ed.): Australian Dictionary of Biography . Melbourne University Press, Carlton (Victoria) 1966–2012 (English).