James Hamilton, 5th Duke of Abercorn
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James Hamilton, 5th Duke of Abercorn, KG (born 4 July 1934) is the current Duke of Abercorn in the Peerage of Ireland. The son of James Edward Hamilton, 4th Duke of Abercorn and Lady Mary Kathleen Crichton, he is a politician, and currently Lord Steward of the Household.
[edit] Education
Abercorn was educated at Eton College and the Royal Agricultural College.
[edit] Career
In 1952, he was commissioned into the Grenadier Guards. From 1964 to 1970, he was Ulster Unionist MP for Fermanagh and South Tyrone (when he held the courtesy title of Marquess of Hamilton). In 1986, he was appointed Lord Lieutenant of County Tyrone. In 1999, he was appointed a Knight of the Order of the Garter, and served as colonel of the Irish Guards between 2000 and 2008; additionally, he was appointed Lord Steward of the Royal Household in 2001.
He is one of the largest land owners in Northern Ireland with more than 15,000 acres (61 km²). His seat is Baronscourt, near Omagh, County Tyrone, Northern Ireland.
The Dukedom of Abercorn is in the Peerage of Ireland and did not carry an entitlement to a seat in the House of Lords, but until 1999 the Duke was entitled to sit there under his subsidiary title Marquess of Abercorn, in the Peerage of Great Britain.
[edit] Family
In 1966 he married Alexandra Anastasia "Sacha" Phillips (b. February 27, 1946), eldest daughter of Lt.-Col. Harold Pedro Joseph Phillips (1909–1980) and Georgina Wernher (b. 1919), elder daughter and co-heiress of Sir Harold Wernher, 3rd Baronet, of Luton Hoo, Bedfordshire). The Duchess is known by her second name Alexandra, and her nickname "Sacha". She is the elder sister of Natalia, wife of the Duke of Westminster.
The Duke and Duchess of Abercorn have two sons and a daughter:
- James Harold Charles Hamilton, Marquess of Hamilton (b. 19 August 1969), who was married on 7 May 2004 at the Guards Chapel, Wellington Barracks to Tanya Marie Nation (b. 1971), eldest daughter of Douglas Percy Codrington Nation, senior managing director of Bear Stearns (1942–2001) and his wife Barbara "Bobbie" Brookes. They have two children, James Alfred Nicholas Hamilton, styled Viscount Strabane (b. 30 October 2005) and Lord Claud Douglas Harold Hamilton (b. 12 December 2007).
- Lady Sophia Alexandra Hamilton (b. 8 June 1973), who was a model before 1996. She married British war journalist Anthony Loyd in 2002, but they divorced, without children, in 2005.
- Lord Nicholas Edward Hamilton (b. 5 July 1979).
| Parliament of the United Kingdom | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Lord Robert Grosvenor |
Member of Parliament for Fermanagh and South Tyrone 1964 – 1970 |
Succeeded by Frank McManus |
| Court offices | ||
| Preceded by The Viscount Ridley |
Lord Steward 2001 – present |
Incumbent |
| Military offices | ||
| Preceded by The Grand Duke of Luxembourg |
Colonel of the Irish Guards 2000 – present |
Incumbent |
| Honorary titles | ||
| Preceded by John Hamilton-Stubber |
Lord Lieutenant of Tyrone 1986 – present |
Incumbent |
| Peerage of Ireland | ||
| Preceded by James Hamilton |
Duke of Abercorn 1979 – present |
Incumbent Designated heir: James Hamilton |
| Order of precedence in the United Kingdom | ||
| Preceded by His Grace The Duke of Norfolk (Earl Marshal) |
Gentlemen (England and Wales; Northern Ireland) The Lord Steward of the Household |
Succeeded by The Rt Hon The Earl Peel (The Lord Chamberlain of the Household) |
| Preceded by His Grace The Duke of Sutherland |
Gentlemen (Scotland) His Grace The Duke of Abercorn |
Succeeded by His Grace The Duke of Westminster |
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