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Lord Frederick Spencer Hamilton (13 October 1856 – 11 August 1928) was a British aristocrat,
Conservative
Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy and ideology that seeks to promote and preserve traditional institutions, customs, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civiliza ...
politician, diplomat, and author.
Biography
Lord Frederick was born in
Brighton
Brighton ( ) is a seaside resort in the city status in the United Kingdom, city of Brighton and Hove, East Sussex, England, south of London.
Archaeological evidence of settlement in the area dates back to the Bronze Age Britain, Bronze Age, R ...
,
the sixth son and thirteenth child of
James Hamilton, Marquess of Abercorn and
Louisa, Marchioness of Abercorn, who were "long remembered as the most handsome and most distinguished young couple of their generation." His father was created the 1st Duke of Abercorn in 1868. His mother, the daughter of the
6th Duke of Bedford, was the half-sister to Prime Minister
John Russell.
He was Second Secretary of the Diplomatic Service (1877–1884) and
Member of Parliament (MP) for
Manchester South West (1885–1886) and
North Tyrone (1892–1895). Lord Frederick also wrote the three-volume set of books, ''The Days Before Yesterday'', ''Vanished Pomps of Yesterday'' and ''Here, There and Everywhere'', which were first published in 1920 by
, and known collectively as ''My Yesterdays''. These give vivid, sometimes amusing and always well-written accounts of his early life, diplomatic service, and travels.
While serving as
aide-de-camp to
Lord Lansdowne, then
Governor-General of Canada
The governor general of Canada () is the federal representative of the . The monarch of Canada is also sovereign and head of state of 14 other Commonwealth realms and resides in the United Kingdom. The monarch, on the advice of his or her Ca ...
, in
Ottawa
Ottawa is the capital city of Canada. It is located in the southern Ontario, southern portion of the province of Ontario, at the confluence of the Ottawa River and the Rideau River. Ottawa borders Gatineau, Gatineau, Quebec, and forms the cor ...
, In January 1887, Lord Frederick was the first person to introduce
skiing
Skiing is the use of skis to glide on snow for basic transport, a recreational activity, or a competitive winter sport. Many types of competitive skiing events are recognized by the International Olympic Committee (IOC), and the International S ...
to
Canada
Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...
, using skis he had brought from Russia. As he recounts, he used to "slide down the toboggan slides at Ottawa on them, to universal derision". He was told they were "unsuited to Canadian conditions, and would never be popular in Canada".
From 1896 to 1900 he was editor of the ''
Pall Mall Magazine
''The Pall Mall Magazine'' was a monthly British literary magazine published between 1893 and 1914. Begun by William Waldorf Astor as an offshoot of '' The Pall Mall Gazette'', the magazine included poetry, short stories, serialized fiction, a ...
''.
He never married and died without children, aged 71, at 13
Great College Street, Westminster.
Ancestry
Works
* , by Lord Frederic
icHamilton, 1919 * , by Lord Frederic
icHamilton, 1920
* , by Lord Frederic
icHamilton, 1921
References
External links
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1856 births
1928 deaths
Frederick Spencer
People from Brighton
Irish Unionist Party MPs
Conservative Party (UK) MPs for English constituencies
Members of the Parliament of the United Kingdom for County Tyrone constituencies (1801–1922)
Younger sons of dukes
UK MPs 1885–1886
UK MPs 1892–1895
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