Robert Ray Hamilton (March 18, 1851 – August 23, 1890) was an American politician from

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

Early life

He was the son of Gen. Schuyler Hamilton (1822–1903); grandson of

John Church Hamilton John Church Hamilton (August 22, 1792 − July 25, 1882) was a historian, biographer, and lawyer. He was a son of Alexander Hamilton, one of the Founding Fathers of the United States. Early life Hamilton was born on August 22, 1792, in Philad ...

(1792–1882); and great-grandson of Alexander Hamilton (1755/7–1804) and

Elizabeth Schuyler Hamilton Elizabeth Hamilton (née Schuyler ; August 9, 1757 – November 9, 1854), also called Eliza or Betsey, was an American socialite and philanthropist. Married to American Founding Father Alexander Hamilton, she was a defender of his works and co ...

. Robert Ray Hamilton graduated from

Columbia College Columbia College may refer to one of several institutions of higher education in North America: Canada * Columbia College (Alberta), in Calgary * Columbia College (British Columbia), a two-year liberal arts institution in Vancouver * Columbia In ...

and

Columbia Law School Columbia Law School (Columbia Law or CLS) is the law school of Columbia University, a private Ivy League university in New York City. Columbia Law is widely regarded as one of the most prestigious law schools in the world and has always ranked ...

. He was admitted to the bar, and practiced law in New York City.

Career

He was a member of the

New York State Assembly The New York State Assembly is the lower house of the New York State Legislature, with the New York State Senate being the upper house. There are 150 seats in the Assembly. Assembly members serve two-year terms without term limits. The Assem ...

(New York Co., 11th D.) in

1881 Events January–March * January 1– 24 – Siege of Geok Tepe: Russian troops under General Mikhail Skobelev defeat the Turkomans. * January 13 – War of the Pacific – Battle of San Juan and Chorrillos: The C ...

1886 Events January–March * January 1 – Upper Burma is formally annexed to British Burma, following its conquest in the Third Anglo-Burmese War of November 1885. * January 5– 9 – Robert Louis Stevenson's novella ''Strange ...

1887 Events January–March * January 11 – Louis Pasteur's anti-rabies treatment is defended in the Académie Nationale de Médecine, by Dr. Joseph Grancher. * January 20 ** The United States Senate allows the Navy to lease Pearl Har ...

1888 In Germany, 1888 is known as the Year of the Three Emperors. Currently, it is the year that, when written in Roman numerals, has the most digits (13). The next year that also has 13 digits is the year 2388. The record will be surpassed as late ...

and

1889 Events January–March * January 1 ** The total solar eclipse of January 1, 1889 is seen over parts of California and Nevada. ** Paiute spiritual leader Wovoka experiences a vision, leading to the start of the Ghost Dance movement in th ...

. Hamilton bought a half interest in a ranch owned by John Sargent in

Idaho Idaho ( ) is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. To the north, it shares a small portion of the Canada–United States border with the province of British Columbia. It borders the states of Montana and W ...

where he intended to live permanently. In May 1890, he left New York City for his ranch, to go hunting.

Personal life

In August 1889, it became known that he was married to Evangeline L. Mann (née Steele), a "notorious woman" who had ensnared him by claiming that he was the father of her child Beatrice. Evangeline Mann assaulted her maid, and was sentenced to two years in prison. In October 1889, Hamilton sued for divorce. He stated that the marriage had been performed on January 7, 1889, and told the truth about Beatrice which had been in fact some foundling used for the scheme to get money out of Hamilton (who had an income of about $40,000 a year inherited from his maternal grandfather Robert Ray). It was later proved in court that Eva had been married already to one Joshua L. Mann before she ever knew Hamilton, and Mann sued for divorce in 1893. In September 1890, he was found dead in the

Snake River The Snake River is a major river of the greater Pacific Northwest region in the United States. At long, it is the largest tributary of the Columbia River, in turn, the largest North American river that empties into the Pacific Ocean. The Snak ...

, near the Southern end of Yellowstone Park, apparently having drowned and having been in the water for several days, making identification somewhat difficult. An investigation accused John I. Sergent of murdering Hamilton, but Sergent was found to be legally insane and was never prosecuted for the crime.https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1899/12/28/102500493.pdf

References

Sources

''The New York Red Book''
compiled by Edgar L. Murlin (published by James B. Lyon, Albany NY, 1897; pg. 501 and 505ff)
''Fourth Annual Record of Assemblymen and Senators from the City of New York in the State Legislature''
published by the City Reform Club (1889; pg. 46–50)
"Very Costly Infatuation"
''

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