James Hamilton, 5th Duke of Abercorn
The Duke of Abercorn | |
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![]() Portrait by Allan Warren, 1990 | |
Chancellor of the Order of the Garter | |
In office 17 October 2012 – 18 June 2024 | |
Monarchs | Elizabeth II Charles III |
Preceded by | The Lord Carrington |
Succeeded by | The Baroness Manningham-Buller |
Lord Steward | |
In office 2001–2009 | |
Monarch | Elizabeth II |
Preceded by | The Viscount Ridley |
Succeeded by | The Earl of Dalhousie |
Lord Lieutenant of Tyrone | |
In office 20 March 1987 – 4 July 2009 | |
Monarch | Elizabeth II |
Preceded by | John Hamilton-Stubber |
Succeeded by | Robert Lowry Scott |
Member of the House of Lords | |
In office 4 June 1979 – 11 November 1999 | |
Preceded by | James Hamilton, 4th Duke of Abercorn |
Succeeded by | Seat Abolished |
Member of Parliament for Fermanagh and South Tyrone | |
In office 15 October 1964 – 29 May 1970 | |
Preceded by | Lord Robert Grosvenor |
Succeeded by | Frank McManus |
Personal details | |
Born | 4 July 1934 |
Political party | Ulster Unionist |
Spouse | |
Children |
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Parents | |
James Hamilton, 5th Duke of Abercorn, KG (born 4 July 1934), styled Viscount Strabane until 1953 and Marquess of Hamilton between 1953 and 1979, is a British peer, courtier and politician.
Hamilton became the 5th Duke of Abercorn in the Peerage of Ireland on the death of his father, the 4th Duke, in 1979.[1] He was an Ulster Unionist politician and served as Member of Parliament for Fermanagh and South Tyrone. He later served as Lord Steward of the Household to Elizabeth II. He was Chancellor of the Order of the Garter from 2012 until his retirement in 2024.[2]
Early life and family
[edit]He was born on 4 July 1934 to James Hamilton, Marquess of Hamilton, and The Hon. Kathleen Crichton. From birth, he held the courtesy title Viscount Strabane, until the death of his paternal grandfather, the 3rd Duke of Abercorn, in 1953, when he became Marquess of Hamilton, the title he held until the death of his father.
On 20 October 1966, the then Lord Hamilton married Alexandra Phillips, daughter of Lieutenant Colonel Harold Phillips and Georgina Wernher, herself the elder daughter and co-heiress of Sir Harold Wernher, 3rd Baronet, of Luton Hoo, Bedfordshire. Their wedding at Westminster Abbey was attended by members of the royal family, including Elizabeth II and the Queen Mother, and Prince Andrew was a pageboy.
The Duke and Duchess of Abercorn had three children:
- James Harold Charles Hamilton, Marquess of Hamilton (born 19 August 1969); a godson of King Charles III;[3] married Tanya Marie Nation on 7 May 2004, had issue:
- James Alfred Nicholas Hamilton, Viscount Strabane (born 30 October 2005)
- Lord Claud Douglas Harold Hamilton (born 12 December 2007)
- Lady Sophia Alexandra Hamilton (born 8 June 1973); married Anthony Loyd on 7 September 2002, divorced 2005, no issue[4]
- Lord Nicholas Edward Hamilton (born 5 July 1979); married Tatiana Kronberg on 30 August 2009, had issue
The Duke was a first cousin of the 8th Earl Spencer, father of Diana, Princess of Wales. He attended Diana's 1981 wedding to Prince Charles at St Paul's Cathedral.
Career
[edit]Educated at Eton College and the Royal Agricultural College, in 1953 he was commissioned into the Grenadier Guards as Second Lieutenant Lord James Paisley,[5] and then promoted to Lieutenant in 1955.[6] He quit active service and was absorbed into the Regular Reserves a year later.[7] In 1964 he became Ulster Unionist MP for Fermanagh and South Tyrone, succeeding his cousin, Lord Robert Grosvenor. He held his seat in the 1966 election but lost it to Frank McManus in 1970 by 1,423 votes.[8] In 1970 he served as High Sheriff of Tyrone.[9] In 1974 he joined the Ulster Defence Regiment,[10] but left the regiment and remained in the British Army in the Volunteer List in 1980.[11] From 1986 to 2009 he was the Lord Lieutenant of County Tyrone. In 1999, he was appointed a Knight Companion of the Order of the Garter.[12] He was Colonel of the Irish Guards from 2000 to 2008.[13] Additionally, he was appointed Lord Steward of the Household in 2001, serving until 2009.[citation needed]
He owns more than 15,000 acres (61 km2). His seat is Baronscourt, near Newtownstewart, County Tyrone, Northern Ireland. The Dukedom of Abercorn is in the Peerage of Ireland and did not carry an entitlement to a seat in the House of Lords, but until 1999 the Duke was entitled to sit there under his subsidiary title Marquess of Abercorn, in the Peerage of Great Britain. He was appointed Chancellor of the Order of the Garter on 17 October 2012, and retired from that office on 18 June 2024.[14][2]
In 1987, he served as a judge in Prince Edward's charity television special The Grand Knockout Tournament.
Arms
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References
[edit]- ^ "Abercorn, James Hamilton". Who's who 1998 : an annual biographical dictionary. New York: St. Martin's Press. 1998. p. 2. ISBN 0312175914.
- ^ a b Furness, Hannah (13 June 2024). "Former M15 boss becomes first female Chancellor of the Order of the Garter". The Telegraph. Retrieved 19 June 2024.
- ^ "Among friends: Inside the new King and Queen Consort's inner circle". Tatler. 15 September 2022. Retrieved 15 October 2022.
- ^ Montague-Smith, Patrick W., ed. (2008). "Abercorn, Duke of (Hamilton) Sat as Marquess of Abercorn (GB 1790) (Duke I 1868, Bt I 1660)". Debrett's Peerage and Baronetage 2008. London: Debrett's Peerage Limited.
- ^ "No. 39944". The London Gazette (1st supplement). 21 August 1953. p. 4582.
- ^ "No. 40400". The London Gazette (1st supplement). 4 February 1955. p. 775.
- ^ "No. 40802". The London Gazette (1st supplement). 8 June 1956. p. 3436.
- ^ Michael Stenton and Stephen Lees, "Who's Who of British Members of Parliament", vol. IV (Harvester Press, 1981), p. 149.
- ^ "No. 2596". The London Gazette (1st supplement). 9 January 1970. p. 13.
- ^ "No. 46500". The London Gazette (1st supplement). 24 February 1975. p. 2558.
- ^ "No. 48229". The London Gazette (1st supplement). 23 June 1980. p. 9002.
- ^ "No. 55466". The London Gazette (1st supplement). 23 April 1999. p. 4575.
- ^ "No. 56020". The London Gazette (1st supplement). 7 November 2000. p. 12480.
- ^ "No. 60301". The London Gazette (1st supplement). 17 October 2012. p. 19937.
- "Burke's Peerage and Baronetage"
- http://www.recyclegen.com/archives/montg_coll/def/evans.htm Archived 23 December 2010 at the Wayback Machine
- http://www.exeter-cathedral.org.uk/_assets/mary%20jane%20nation.pdf Archived 3 February 2014 at the Wayback Machine
- http://www.nationstudy.com/getperson.php?personID=I8941&tree=NationStudy
External links
[edit]![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/4/4a/Commons-logo.svg/30px-Commons-logo.svg.png)
- 1934 births
- Alumni of the Royal Agricultural University
- Grenadier Guards officers
- Dukes of Abercorn
- Knights of the Garter
- Living people
- High sheriffs of Tyrone
- Lord-lieutenants of Tyrone
- Members of the Parliament of the United Kingdom for Fermanagh and South Tyrone (since 1950)
- People educated at Eton College
- People from County Tyrone
- Ulster Unionist Party MPs
- UK MPs 1964–1966
- UK MPs 1966–1970
- UK MPs who inherited peerages
- Chancellors of the Order of the Garter
- Hereditary peers removed under the House of Lords Act 1999