George Hamilton (South Australian police)
| George Hamilton | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Born |
George Hamilton March 12, 1812 Herefordshire, England |
| Died | August 2, 1883 (aged 71) |
| Resting place | West Terrace Cemetery |
| Education | Harrow School |
| Occupation | Commissioner of Police |
| Years active | 1867-1881 |
| Employer | South Australia Police |
| Organization | Colony of South Australia |
| Known for | Artist, Author, Animal activist |
| Title | Commissioner of Police |
| Partner(s) | Unmarried |
George Hamilton (12 March 1812 – 2 August 1883), was a pioneer overlander, artist, settler, and police officer in the Colony of South Australia, serving as Commissioner of Police for fifteen years.
Hamilton came from an old Herefordshire family and as a youth was educated at Harrow School before serving as midshipman in the Royal Navy. Farming was his major interest when he emigrated to Australia, firstly to Sydney, before overlanding sheep to Port Phillip, Victoria. He then participated in overlanding a herd of cattle to South Australia in October 1839, along with close friend E.B. Scott. For the next few years he combined mixed farming along with his artistic talents, both visual arts and authorship, all of which had considerable merit, but none of which were a resounding success.
In 1848 he accepted a position as clerk with the Colonial Treasury and, when the Gold Escorts from the Victorian Goldfields were established, he transferred in May 1852 to become Bullion Clerk in the busy Gold Escort Office.
On 1 December 1853 he joined the South Australian Mounted Police with the rank of Inspector, at the invitation of Alexander Tolmer, who around the time had been demoted from Commissioner of Police to Chief Inspector.
He progressed gradually through the ranks. Around 1860 he was appointed Chief Inspector and also acted in the position of Commissioner on occasion. During this period he was an activist for the humane treatment of horses, publishing two significant books on that topic, these early endeavours in the prevention of animal cruelty now being recognised at the National Museum of Australia.
On 14 November 1867, aged 55 years, he was appointed Commissioner of Police, succeeding Major Peter Warburton, who had been asked to resign. Inspector William Searcy was promoted to Hamilton's former position of Chief Inspector.
Hamilton had already served twenty years in the force when he was appointed, and so he was well familiar with its policies and politics. He was destined to preside over a period of solid growth and reorganisation, restoring the reputation of the force from one of disorganisation. He was involved in advising and fitting out a number of government and private exploration parties. Hamilton was a noted horseman, and placed great importance on mounted constabulary during his time as Commissioner, which made a career with the police an attractive choice for bright adventurous young men. He was a stern disciplinarian and developed the police force into a well-drilled and efficient service. He never failed to punish infractions, nor to give credit for good work.
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