Sir William Hamilton, 9th Baronet
| Sir William Hamilton, Bt | |
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| Born |
8 March 1788 Glasgow, Scotland |
| Died | 6 May 1856 (aged 68) Edinburgh, Scotland |
| Era | 19th-century philosophy |
| Region | Western Philosophy |
| School | Common Sense |
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Main interests
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Metaphysics, Logic |
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Influences
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Influenced
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Sir William Hamilton, 9th Baronet FRSE DD FSAS (8 March 1788 – 6 May 1856) was a Scottish metaphysician. He is often referred to as William Stirling Hamilton of Preston, in reference to his mother, Elizabeth Stirling.
He was born in rooms at the University of Glasgow He was from an academic family, his younger brother being Robert Hamilton, the economist. His father Prof William Hamilton, had in 1781, on the strong recommendation of William Hunter, been appointed to succeed his own father, Dr Thomas Hamilton, as Regius Professor of Anatomy, Glasgow; and when he died in 1790, in his thirty-second year, he had already gained a great reputation. William Hamilton and a younger brother, Thomas Hamilton, were brought up by their mother.
William received his early education at Glasgow Grammar School, except for two years which he spent in a private school at Chiswick in Kent, and in 1807 went as a Snell Exhibitioner, to Balliol College, Oxford. He obtained a first class in lit ens humanioribus and took his B.A. in 1811 (M.A. 1814). He had been intended for the medical profession, but soon after leaving Oxford he gave up this idea, and in 1813 became a member of the Scottish bar, as a qualified advocate. His life continued to be that of a student; and the years that followed were filled by researches of all kinds, while at the same time he was gradually forming his philosophic system. Investigation enabled him to make good his claim to represent the ancient family of Hamilton of Preston, and in 1816 he took up the baronetcy, which had been in abeyance since the death of Sir Robert Hamilton of Preston (1650–1701), well known in his day as a Covenanting leader. He inspired many young adults.
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