Background
His father was Gustaf Wathier Hamilton.
writer governor of Östergötland County
His father was Gustaf Wathier Hamilton.
Uppsala University.
Today he is perhaps best remembered for the so-called Hamilton received his education at Uppsala University and became second lieutenant at Svea artilleriregemente in 1829. In 1837-1843 he was a teacher in the military. In 1845 he became a major in the military.
He held many high profile political positions throughout his career, such as county governor of Östergötland County (1852) and in 1859–1860 he was the minister of education (ecklesiastikminister).
He was also appointed university chancellor for Lund and Uppsala University in 1872. He was also the permanent secretary of the Swedish Academy 1874–1881.
In 1881 Hamilton was caught embezzling very large sums of money from his relatives, Uppsala University and the Swedish Academy. Hamilton was a gambler (particularly roulette and the card game Trente et Quarante) and addicted to morphine, and his gambling habits abroad, in particular in Germany, had resulted in a desperate need for money.
Given the potential impact of this large scandal, particularly because high-profile socialites and King Oscar II had close friendships with Hamilton, he was spared prosecution but forced to resign from all his positions and memberships in all learned societies.
He was also forced into exile, and moved to southern France. He still drew a pension from the Swedish government and he also received a pension from the Royal Order of the Seraphim. There were also rumors of King Oscar II helping him financially.
He died five years later.
The movement among the ruling class of Sweden at the time to "preserve the society" decided to forget about Henning Hamilton and today he is largely forgotten in Sweden. Palmgren, CG: Gåtan Henning Hamilton, Atlantis 2000 (in Swedish).
Swedish Academy; Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences]
He was an elected member of most learned societies in Sweden, such as the Swedish Academy and the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences, and received honorary doctorates from Lund University (1868) and the University of Copenhagen (1879).