Raymond George Hamilton (27 May 1909 – 6 November 1975) was an Australian politician and a member of the

New South Wales Legislative Assembly The New South Wales Legislative Assembly is the lower of the two houses of the Parliament of New South Wales, an Australian state. The upper house is the New South Wales Legislative Council. Both the Assembly and Council sit at Parliament House ...

between 1941 and 1950. He was a member of the Labor Party.

Early life

Hamilton was born in

Singleton, New South Wales Singleton is a town on the banks of the Hunter River (New South Wales), Hunter River in New South Wales, Australia. Singleton is 202km (126 mi) north-north-west of Sydney, and 70 km (43 mi) north-west of Newcastle, New South Wales ...

and was the son of a mercer. He was educated at the Gunnedah High School and

Sydney Church of England Grammar School The Sydney Church of England Grammar School (commonly known as Shore or Shore School) is an independent Anglican school for boys located on Sydney's Lower North Shore, New South Wales, Australia. The school operates across two campuses, offer ...

and became an articled clerk to a firm of solicitors in Gunnedah. He also managed his father's Gunnedah Garden Theatre. He was admitted as a solicitor in 1940 and was the associate of Justice William Owen in 1941. He served with the

Second Australian Imperial Force The Second Australian Imperial Force (2nd AIF, or Second AIF) was the volunteer expeditionary force of the Australian Army in the Second World War. It was formed following the declaration of war on Nazi Germany, with an initial strength of one ...

between 1941 and 1945 and attained the rank of lieutenant. Hamilton was called to the bar in 1945 and practiced in Sydney until 1953. He then developed and was a director of a number of concrete and other construction businesses. He also owned a number of cattle properties in the Nundle area. Hamilton was elected president of Nundle Shire Council between 1968 and 1972.

State Parliament

Hamilton was elected to parliament as the Labor member for Namoi at the

1941 The Correlates of War project estimates this to be the deadliest year in human history in terms of conflict deaths, placing the death toll at 3.49 million. However, the Uppsala Conflict Data Program estimates that the subsequent year, 1942, wa ...

state election. He replaced the retiring Country Party member Colin Sinclair. At the election the Labor Party under

William McKell Sir William John McKell, (26 September 1891 – 11 January 1985) was an Australian politician who served as the 12th Governor-General of Australia, in office from 1947 to 1953. He had previously been Premier of New South Wales from 1941 to 19 ...

made large gains in rural New South Wales, including Namoi and this was the basis of it gaining the majority in the Assembly and forming government. Hamilton retained the seat until it was abolished by a redistribution at the

1950 Events January * January 1 – The International Police Association (IPA) – the largest police organization in the world – is formed. * January 5 – 1950 Sverdlovsk plane crash, Sverdlovsk plane crash: ''Aeroflot'' Lisunov Li-2 ...

election. He then attempted to gain Labor pre-selection for the seat of

Bankstown Bankstown is a suburb of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. It is located 19 kilometres south-west of the Sydney central business district and is part of the Canterbury-Bankstown region. Bankstown is the administrative centre ...

which the sitting member and Premier James McGirr had vacated to contest the new seat of

Liverpool Liverpool is a port City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. It is situated on the eastern side of the River Mersey, Mersey Estuary, near the Irish Sea, north-west of London. With a population ...

. He was easily defeated by Spence Powell. He did not hold party, parliamentary or ministerial offices and because of his army service, business interests and Sydney legal practice spent little time in his electorate.

References

1909 births 1975 deaths Members of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly Australian Labor Party members of the Parliament of New South Wales 20th-century Australian politicians Australian Army personnel of World War II Australian Army officers {{Australia-Labor-NewSouthWales-MP-stub