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Alexander Morgan Hamilton family photograph collection

Call Number

PR 103

Date

[1895]-1948, undated (Bulk 1905-1948), inclusive

Creator

Hamilton, Alexander Morgan, 1903-1970

Extent

17 Linear feet (16 boxes)

Language of Materials

English .

Abstract

Collection of photographic prints, albums, scrapbooks, and certificates documenting the social, private, and political activities of the family of Alexander Morgan Hamilton (1903-1970). Materials relating to Elizabeth Hamilton's former husbands, John Wanamaker, Jr. and C. Egerton Warburton, are also included.

Biographical Note

Alexander Morgan Hamilton, grandson of financier John Pierpont Morgan and great-great-grandson of the first Secretary of the Treasury of the United States, was active in New York City government, the New York Republican Party and a variety of civic and social clubs. Born in New York City in 1903, he graduated from St. Paul's School in 1921 and Harvard in 1924. He served as President of the New York Young Republicans Club and made an unsuccessful run for the state senate in 1930. Hamilton was appointed as Deputy Commissioner in Charge of Weights and Measures in New York City's Department of Markets in 1934; he was referred to as "one-dollar Hamilton" after requesting only a symbolic salary of one dollar per year for the position. A rift with Mayor LaGuardia prompted him to resign from the position in 1935. Hamilton served in the Marine Corps during World War II, eventually rising to the rank of major. In his later years he took an interest in conservation and preservation work, serving as president of the American Scenic and Historic Preservation Society and as secretary-treasurer of the American Museum of Immigration at the Statue of Liberty National Monument. He received an award from the United States Department of the Interior for his efforts.

Alexander Hamilton received a divorce from his first wife, Katherine Comly Hamilton, in Reno in 1935, and later that same day married Elizabeth Peltz Warburton Wanamaker, the daughter of wealthy Philadelphian George Mifflin Dallas Peltz and widow of department store magnate John Wanamaker, Jr. In 1923, at the age of seventeen, Elizabeth Peltz was expected to make her debut in society, but instead eloped with C. Egerton Warburton, the son of Major Barclay Warburton, the mayor of Palm Beach, Florida. She was active in the Philadelphia social scene, taking part in charity events and drawing the attention of the press. Soon after divorcing Warburton in 1932, she married John Wanamaker, Jr. on the same day his divorce from his first wife was finalized.

Alexander Hamilton's family maintained a high profile in society and politics. Hamilton's older brother, Pierpont Hamilton, served in the Army Air Corps during World War I and won the Congressional Medal of Honor for his service as a Lieutenant Colonel in the Air Force serving in Africa during World War II. In 1946, Harvard University awarded him an honorary Master of Arts, citing his military accomplishments. Another older brother, Laurens Hamilton, was a New York state assemblyman. Hamilton also had two sisters. Helen Hamilton Woods married Police Chief Arthur Woods; Elizabeth Schuyler Hamilton died tragically at the age of eleven in 1919 as a late victim of the Flu Pandemic of 1918. Hamilton's parents, William P. Hamilton (1869-1950) and Juliet Morgan Hamilton, daughter of John Pierpont Morgan, were wealthy New Yorkers who owned and operated Thirlstane Ranch in Salisbury Cove, Maine.

Arrangement

Scrapbooks and photograph albums are arranged chronologically. Photographic prints and certificates are arranged alphabetically by sitter or recipient.

Materials have been arranged into series based on format.

Missing Title

  1. Series I: Scrapbooks
  2. Series II: Photograph Albums
  3. Series III: Loose Photographs
  4. Series IV: Certificates

Scope and Content Note

The Alexander Hamilton Family collection spans the period from ca. 1895-1948 and primarily contains documents and photographs relating to the personal life and political career of Alexander M. Hamilton, the family and public life of his second wife, Elizabeth, and to a lesser degree the lives of Hamilton's siblings, Pierpont M. Hamilton, Helen M. Hamilton Woods, and Laurens Hamilton and his parents, William P. and Juliet Morgan Hamilton. Also included are some photographs, clippings and certificates relating to Elizabeth Hamilton's first two husbands, C. Egerton Warburton and John Wanamaker, Jr. The collection is divided into four series: Scrapbooks; Photograph Albums; Loose Photographs; and Certificates.

Access Restrictions

Open to qualified researchers.

Photocopying undertaken by staff only. Limited to 20 photocopies per day per person. Suitability of the original for photocopying is at the discretion of the staff. Neither blueprints nor tracings can be copied under any circumstances. Duplication of large-format items will be done by the house photographer. See Print Room guidelines for details.

Use Restrictions

Permission to reproduce any Print Room holdings through publication must be obtained from

Rights and Reproductions
The New-York Historical Society
Two West 77th Street
New York, NY 10024

Phone: (212) 873-3400 ext. 282
Fax: (212) 579-8794

The copyright law of the United States governs the making of photocopies and protects unpublished materials as well as published materials. Unpublished materials created before January 1, 1978 cannot be quoted in publication without permission of the copyright holder.

Preferred Citation

This collection should be cited as: The Alexander Morgan Hamilton Family Photograph Collection, PR 103, Department of Prints, Photographs, and Architectural Collections, The New-York Historical Society.

Provenance

Gift of James Carr in 1979.

Collection processed by

Processed by Jennifer Lewis

About this Guide

This finding aid was produced using ArchivesSpace on 2023-08-21 15:48:42 -0400.
Language: Description is in English.

Edition of this Guide

This version wasderived from Hamilton.xml

Repository

New-York Historical Society
New-York Historical Society
170 Central Park West
New York, NY 10024