James Hamilton 1st Duke of Abercorn 1811 – 1885

James Hamilton 1st Duke of Abercorn KG PC 1811 – 1885, styled Viscount Hamilton from 1814 to 1818 and the Marquess of Abercorn from 1818 to 1868, was a British Conservative politician and statesman who twice served as Lord Lieutenant of Ireland,

Abercorn and his wife were staunch advocates of homeopathy, he was a Patron of the homeopathic hospital in Smyrna, and he was a friend of Frederick Hervey Foster Quin, and a patient of Allan Broman,

Abercorn was a servant of Prince Albert, a colleague of William Ewert Gladstone, the father in law of Henry Charles Keith Petty Fitzmaurice 5th Marquess of Lansdowne, he was also related to George Hamilton Gordon 4th Earl of Aberdeen, and his daughter Albertha Frances Anne Hamilton married the son of John Winston Spencer Churchill 7th Duke of Marlborough.

Through his son, James Hamilton 2nd Duke of Abercorn, Abercorn is a great great great grandfather of Diana Princess of Wales. Through his daughter, Lady Louisa, Abercorn is a great grandfather of Alice Duchess of Gloucester, and he is a great great grandfather of Sarah Duchess of York.

The homeopathic hospital in Smyrna, was also supported by: Arthur Algernon Capell 6th Earl of Essex, Lord Lovaine MP (Algernon George Percy 6th Duke of Northumberland), James Gambier 1st Baron Gambier, George Wyndham 1st Baron Leconfield, Colonel Taylor, Edmund Gardiner Fishbourne, Robert Grosvenor 1st Baron Ebury, Richard Whately Archbishop of Dublin, Henry Charles FitzRoy Somerset 8th Duke of Beaufort, Arthur Wellesley 1st Duke of Wellington, The Marquis of Abercorn, and 18 other members of the House of Lords, 43 Peer’s sons, Baronets and Members of Parliament, 17 Generals, 33 Field Officers, 43 other Officers of the Army, 2 Admirals, 15 Captains of the navy, 65 Clergymen, 45 Justices of the Peace, Barristers and Solicitors, and 314 Bankers, Merchants and others.

From http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Hamilton,_1st_Duke_of_Abercorn Born at Seymour Place, Mayfair, Abercorn was the son of James Hamilton Viscount Hamilton, who died when his son was only three, eldest son of John Hamilton 1st Marquess of Abercorn. His mother was Harriet Douglas, second daughter of the Hon. John Douglas.

He was educated at Harrow School and Christ Church College, Oxford. In 1818 he succeeded his grandfather in his titles. He received a Honorary Doctorate of Civil Laws by the University of Oxford in 1856.

In 1844, Lord Abercorn was made a Knight of the Garter at the relatively young age of 33, becoming that same year Lord Lieutenant of Donegal. Two years later he was appointed a Privy Counsellor and Groom of the Stole to Prince Albert, and remained a prominent figure in the royal court for the next two decades.

In 1866, he was appointed Viceroy of Ireland, and two years later was created Marquess of Hamilton (in the Peerage of the United Kingdom) and Duke of Abercorn (in the Peerage of Ireland), resigning shortly after William Ewert Gladstone won the 1868 general election. He was reappointed to the post in 1874, and the Duke served as Viceroy until his resignation in 1876, partly on account of his wife’s ill health.

In 1874, he was chosen Grandmaster of the Grand Lodge of Ireland, a post he held until his death. Abercorn was Envoy Extraordinary for the investiture of Umberto I of Italy with the Order of the Garter on 2 March 1878. He was elected Chancellor of the University of Ireland in 1881, and died four years later at his home of Baronscourt, County Tyrone.

Abercorn married Lady Louisa, second daughter of John Russell 6th Duke of Bedford, in 1832. They had fourteen children, thirteen of whom survived infancy:

• Lady Harriet Georgiana Louisa Hamilton (1834–1913), married in 1855 to Thomas George Anson 2nd Earl of Lichfield. They had eight sons and five daughters.

• Lady Beatrix Frances Hamilton (1835–1871), married in 1854 to George Frederick D’Arcy Lambton 2nd Earl of Durham

• Lady Louisa Jane Hamilton (1836–1912), married in 1859 to William Montagu Douglas Scott 6th Duke of Buccleuch

• Lady Katherine Elizabeth Hamilton (c. 1838–1874), married in 1858 to William Henry Edgcumbe 4th Earl of Mount Edgcumbe

• James Hamilton 2nd Duke of Abercorn (1838–1913)

• Lady Georgiana Susan Hamilton (1841–1913), married in 1882 to Edward Turnour 5th Earl Winterton

• Lord Claud Hamilton (1843–1925)

• Lord George Hamilton (1845–1927)

• Lady Albertha Frances Anne Hamilton (1847–1932), married in 1869 to George Charles Spencer Churchill, 8th Duke of Marlborough. The marriage was annulled in 1883.

• Lord Ronald Douglas Hamilton (1849–1867)

• Lady Maud Evelyn Hamilton (1850–1932), married in 1869 to Henry Charles Keith Petty Fitzmaurice 5th Marquess of Lansdowne

• Lord Cosmo Hamilton (1853–1853, on the same day)

• Lord Frederick Spencer Hamilton (1856–1928)

• Lord Ernest Hamilton (1858–1939)

Abercorn died in October 1885, aged 74, and was succeeded by his eldest son, James Hamilton 2nd Duke of Abercorn. The Duchess of Abercorn died in March 1905, aged 92. Through his son, James Hamilton 2nd Duke of Abercorn, Abercorn is a great great great grandfather of Diana Princess of Wales. Through his daughter, Lady Louisa, Abercorn is a great grandfather of Alice Duchess of Gloucester and a great great grandfather of Sarah Duchess of York.