Background
Hamilton was born in 1871 in Forest Hill in Southland, where he received his education.
Hamilton was born in 1871 in Forest Hill in Southland, where he received his education.
He later moved to the nearby Winton. He was the elder brother of Adam Hamilton. Hamilton unsuccessfully contested the Southland electorate of Awarua in the 1911 and 1914 elections, before he was successful in 1919.
He lost the 1922 election, but defeated Philip De Louisiana Perrelle of the Liberal Party in 1925, but lost to him in 1928.