Ian Hamilton (lawyer)
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Ian Hamilton QC (born 1925) is a lawyer and Scottish Nationalist. Born in Paisley, Scotland in 1925, the son of a tailor, he attended the John Neilson Institute in Paisley before going on to the University of Glasgow to study law, after having served in the armed forces. It was at university where Hamilton became politically active. A participant in debates at the Glasgow University Union, he was a member of Glasgow University Scottish Nationalist Association (GUSNA) and the Scottish Covenant Association. He was the campaign manager for the successful bid to have John MacCormick elected Rector of the university.
Hamilton is perhaps most famous for leading the expedition of a number of student Scottish nationalists in taking the Stone of Scone, used for coronations of monarchs in the British Isles beginning in at least 847, from Westminster Abbey on Christmas Eve, 1950 and bringing it to Scotland. During this repatriation the stone was broken into two pieces but Hamilton, a young law student at the time, never faced prosecution after pointing out to the authorities that in order to pursue a successful prosecution they would first have to establish rightful ownership. However his commitment to Scottish nationalism goes further. When first admitted to the bar as a young advocate (barrister) in 1953 he refused to swear allegiance to Queen Elizabeth II and successfully argued that she could only be referred to as Queen Elizabeth in Scotland as the first Queen Elizabeth had never reigned over Scotland.
After graduating from university, Hamilton forged a legal career, becoming one of Scotland's most prominent lawyers. He joined the Labour Party for a short while, but has spent most of his life in active politics as a member of the Scottish National Party (SNP).
He was SNP candidate for the Strathclyde East seat at the 1994 election to the European Parliament, as well as a candidate for them in the Greenock and Inverclyde seat at the 1999 election to the Scottish Parliament. He was Rector of the University of Aberdeen from 1994-1996 and was awarded the degree of Doctor of Laws (Honoris Causa) in his final year. He was also chosen by GUSNA as their candidate for the Glasgow University Rectorial election in 1999 in which he came second to the actor Ross Kemp.
A republican, Ian believes that Scotland should become an independent republic state.
Hamilton has written two autobiographical works, that are in part polemical too, A Touch of Treason (1990) and A Touch More Treason (1994).
He launched a blog site, where he posts commentary on Scottish social and political life.
