James Hamilton (83)

Election date: 1768 (Elected to the revived American Philosophical Society.)
APS Office(s): President of the revived APS (1768-1769)

James Hamilton (1710–14 August 1783) was a public officeholder and a member of the American Philosophical Society, elected in 1768. Likely born in Kent County, Maryland, he was the son of a prominent lawyer who secured his status by representing the Penn family’s interests. Hamilton was educated in Philadelphia and England before settling in Philadelphia where, with with support from his father and patronage from the Penn family, he entered public office. His position as the prothonotary of the Pennsylvania Supreme Court would be the first in a long list of prominent public offices. From there, Hamilton would go on to serve in the Provincial Assembly, Philadelphia Common Council, and as mayor of Philadelphia before being commissioned as lieutenant governor in 1748 at the relatively young age of thirty-six. Hamilton’s careful management of his inheritance assured that his wealth—derived from rents, land sales, interest payments, and annuities—kept him living a comfortable life at his country estate Bush Hill, widely praised for its gardens. During the American Revolution, his sympathy and financial connections to England led to his imprisonment and exile in the winter of 1777-1778. He eventually secured a medical release and, after swearing an oath of allegiance, was able to return to his estate. However, he never held public office again. His spent his later years supporting a variety of Philadelphia institutions including serving as a trustee of the Academy and College of Philadelphia, founding St. John’s Masonic Lodge, and joining the St. Andrew’s Society. His brother-in-law William Allen and nephews John, Andrew, and James Allen were APS members. (PI, DNB, DAB)

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