| The Right Honourable The Earl of Haddington KT, PC |
|
|---|---|
| Lord Lieutenant of Ireland | |
| In office 1 January 1835 – 8 April 1835 |
|
| Monarch | William IV |
| Prime Minister | Sir Robert Peel, Bt |
| Preceded by | The Marquess Wellesley |
| Succeeded by | The Earl of Mulgrave |
| First Lord of the Admiralty | |
| In office 6 September 1841 – 8 January 1846 |
|
| Monarch | Victoria |
| Prime Minister | Sir Robert Peel, Bt |
| Preceded by | The Earl of Minto |
| Succeeded by | The Earl of Ellenborough |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 21 June 1780 |
| Died | 1 December 1858 |
| Nationality | British |
| Political party | Tory |
| Spouse(s) | Lady Maria Parker (d. 1861) |
| Alma mater | University of Edinburgh Christ Church, Oxford |
Thomas Hamilton, 9th Earl of Haddington KT PC FRS (21 June 1780 – 1 December 1858), known as Lord Binning from 1794 to 1828, was a British Conservative politician and statesman.
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Lord Haddington was the only son of Charles Hamilton, 8th Earl of Haddington and Lady Sophia, daughter of John Hope, 2nd Earl of Hopetoun. He was educated at Edinburgh University and Christ Church, Oxford.
At the beginning of the 19th century, Lord Haddington was a supporter of George Canning. He was elected as a Member of Parliament for St Germans in 1802, but did not stand for re-election in 1806. In August 1814, he was appointed one of His Majesty's Commissioners for the management of the affairs in India. He served sporadically in the House of Commons until 1827 when he was elevated to the House of Lords by the new Prime Minister, George Canning, who had him created Baron Melros, of Tynninghame in the County of Haddington, in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. He had previously been created a Privy Counsellor in 1814 and in 1828 he succeeded to his family's Scottish earldom.
Lord Haddington went onto vote against the Reform Bill in 1831, but later changed his mind and voted for it in 1832, possibly due to the political crises surrounding its passage. Upon the rise of Sir Robert Peel to the premiership in 1834, Lord Haddington was made Lord Lieutenant of Ireland, however the government collapsed within six months, and the Whigs were once again in power. Lord Haddington was able to return to government in 1841 with the return of Sir Robert Peel to the premiership - he declined the post of Governor General of India, instead opting to become First Lord of the Admiralty and a member of the Cabinet. He held that post until January 1846 when he was shuffled to become Lord Privy Seal, a post he held until the death of the government in July.
Lord Haddington married Lady Maria Parker, heir of George Parker, 4th Earl of Macclesfield, in 1802. They had no surviving children and the Earl died in December 1858, aged 78. On his death the barony of Melros became extinct while he was succeeded in the remaining titles by his second cousin, George Baillie-Hamilton. Lady Haddington died in 1861.
In 1828 he commissioned William Burn to remodel the family seat of Tyninghame House, which passed with the earldom to Baillie-Hamilton.