Monarch Victoria Died September 2, 1908 Role Polit. | Name Edward Hamilton Education Eton College Alma mater Christ Church, Oxford | |
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Preceded by Ralph Lingen, 1st Baron Lingen Succeeded by George Murray (civil servant) Born 7 July 1847 ( 1847-07-07 ) | ||
Sir Edward Walter Hamilton GCB KCVO ISO (7 July 1847 – 2 September 1908) was a British political diarist and Joint Permanent Secretary to the Treasury.
Biography
Hamilton was the eldest son of Walter Hamilton (1808-1869), Bishop of Salisbury, and was educated at Eton 1860-65, and at Christ Church, Oxford 1866-68 where he took a Class III in Classical Moderations (Greek and Latin).
He entered the Treasury in 1870, and was private secretary to the Chancellor of the Exchequer, Robert Lowe, 1872-73. In that year he was appointed private secretary to William Ewart Gladstone who was Prime Minister until 1874, and also served as such 1880-85 when Gladstone was Prime Minister for the second time. Following Gladstone's defeat in 1885 he was appointed by the new Prime Minister, the Tory Lord Salisbury to a position in the Treasury where he became a pillar of the Victorian establishment during various appointments through the years. In 1902 he was appointed a Joint Permanent Secretary to the Treasury, and continued as such until his death.
Hamilton was appointed a Companion of the Order of the Bath (CB) in 1885, was knighted and promoted a Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath (KCB) in 1894, and received the Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath (GCB) in 1906. He also received the Imperial Service Order (ISO) in 1904. For his services to the monarchy, King Edward VII appointed him a Knight Commander of the Royal Victorian Order (KCVO) in July 1901.
While Hamilton always retained strong links to Gladstone and his family, politically he was closer to Gladstone's successor Lord Rosebery to whom he was a close friend and Eton contemporary.
Hamilton published a diary of political gossip under the pseudonym "Nemo" (Latin for "no man" or "no one"). He died unmarried on 3 September 1908, and was buried in Brighton cemetery.