Douglas Douglas-Hamilton, 14th Duke of Hamilton

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Douglas Douglas-Hamilton, 14th Duke of Hamilton and 11th Duke of Brandon, KT, GCVO, AFC, PC, DL, FRCSE, FRGS, (3 February 1903 – 30 March 1973) was a Scottish Nobleman and pioneering Aviator.

He was the eldest of four brothers who were to make military history by all being at the rank of Squadron Leader or above simultaneously at the outbreak of World War II.

1 Early Life
2 Flight over Everest
3 The Hess Affair
4 Offices and Positions Held
5 Marriage and Issue

[edit] Early Life

Hamilton was born in Pimlico, London, England. He was the son of Alfred, the 13th Duke of Hamilton and his wife Nina Benita Poore. He was educated at Eton and Balliol College, Oxford, where he gained a Blue in Boxing, this in turn led to his winning of the Scottish Amateur Middleweight title. He was also a member of the Royal Company of Archers, the Sovereign's bodyguard for Scotland.

Styled Marquess of Douglas and Clydesdale before he succeeded his father as the Duke of Hamilton and Keeper of Holyroodhouse in 1940, he had been a prominent Unionist Member of the British Parliament from 1930. In 1935 in order to experience the life of the employees in his family's mines, he joined a Trades Union and worked for a time at the coal face, as plain 'Mr. Hamilton'.

[edit] Flight over Everest

He became interested in flying at an early age and served in the RAuxAF as a Squadron Commander from 1927 to 1936. He was involved in one of the most ambitious avionic enterprises of the early twentieth century, flying higher than any before. Lord Clydesdale, as he was known, piloted the first flight over Mount Everest in 1933, using an open cockpit bi-plane. The extremity endured by the crews of these aeroplanes was instrumental to the introduction of pressurised cabins in modern aircraft, it also was the first detailed and scientific survey of the Himalaya region, and resulted in the birth of Scottish Aviation Ltd (now part of BAE Systems).

In recognition of his role in the expedition, he was decorated with the Air Force Cross in 1935. As a pioneering early aviator he was regarded in much the same heroic way as the astronauts a generation later.

Later, during World War II as an honorary Air Commodore, he was responsible for air defence in Scotland and took command of the Air Training Corps.

[edit] The Hess Affair

Hamilton had attended the 1936 Summer Olympics in Berlin. A keen sportsman, he had flown his own plane to Germany, where he had acquainted himself with Albrecht Haushofer. Haushofer had studied alongside Rudolph Hess at Munich University. On Hess' rise to prominence within the Nazi Party, Haushofer became his advisor on foreign affairs. In May 1941, Hess parachuted into Scotland, the reason for his doing so was ostensibly to meet with the Duke and plot a secret peace treaty that would lead to the overthrow of hardliners such as Winston Churchill. It was, in reality, a trap; Hess was captured and the Duke was not implicated in any treasonous behaviour. The British authorities who captured Hess even allowed him to meet the Duke some time later.

The Duke was Mentioned in Dispatches.

[edit] Offices and Positions Held

He was appointed Privy Counsellor and Lord Steward of the Household, holding the latter office until 1964. He served as Chancellor of the University of St Andrews from 1948 to 1973. He was admitted to the Order of the Thistle in 1951.

He served as Lord High Commissioner to the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland four times, in 1953, 1954,1955 and 1958.

In 1963 the Duke was made honarary President of the Boys Brigade, he had been the treasurer since 1938. He was the President of the Air League from 1959-1968.

[edit] Marriage and Issue

In 1937, he married the Lady Elizabeth Ivy Percy, the daughter of the Duke of Northumberland. They produced five sons:

Angus Douglas-Hamilton, 15th Duke of Hamilton (b. 1938)
James Douglas-Hamilton, Baron Selkirk of Douglas (b. 1942)
Lord Hugh Malcolm Douglas Hamilton (1946–1995)
Lord Patrick George Douglas-Hamilton (b. 1950)
Lord David Stephen Douglas-Hamilton (b. 1952)

Parliament of the United Kingdom
Preceded by: Alexander MacRobert	Member of Parliament for Renfrewshire East 1930–1940	Succeeded by: Sir Guy Lloyd
Political offices
Preceded by: The Duke of Buccleuch and Queensberry	Lord Steward 1940–1964	Succeeded by: The Duke of Westminster
Academic Offices
Preceded by: The Earl Baldwin of Bewdley	Chancellor of the University of St Andrews 1948–1973	Succeeded by: The Lord Ballantrae
Peerage of Scotland
Preceded by: Alfred Douglas-Hamilton	Duke of Hamilton 1940–1973	Succeeded by: Angus Douglas-Hamilton