William Alexander Louis Stephen Douglas-Hamilton, 12th
Duke of Hamilton, 9th Duke of Brandon, 2nd Duke of Châtellerault KT
(London, 12 March 1845 – Algiers, 16 May 1895) was a Scottish nobleman.
He was the son of William Hamilton, 11th Duke of Hamilton and
Princess Marie of Baden, the adoptive granddaughter of Napoleon
Bonaparte. Hamilton was born at Connaught Place, London.
The
title of duke of Châtellerault, granted to his remote ancestor in 1548,
and claimed at different times by various branches of the Hamilton
family, was conferred on the 11th duke's son, William Alexander, 12th
duke of Hamilton (1845-1895), by the emperor of the French in 1864.
Hamilton was educated at Eton College and Christ Church, Oxford.
A description of Hamilton :"at Christchurch he went in for boxing,
as he went in later for horse-racing, yachting and other amusements...
He was full bodied, of a rudely ruddy complexion, had a powerful neck,
and seemed strong enough to fell an ox with his fist... He had a
frankness of speech bordering on rudeness".
In 1867 he was close
to financial ruin when his race horse Cortolvin won the Grand National
Steeplechase at Aintree. In addition to substantial prize money he also
took some £16,000 from the bookmakers, restoring his fortune.
On
10 December 1873, he married Lady Mary Montagu, daughter of William
Montagu, 7th Duke of Manchester, at Kimbolton Castle and they had one
daughter: Lady Mary Louise Douglas-Hamilton (1884–1957), married
James Graham, 6th Duke of Montrose and had issue.
His sister, Lady Mary
Douglas-Hamilton, married in 1869 Albert, prince of
Monaco, but their marriage
was declared invalid in 1880. She subsequently married Count Tassilo Festetics,
a Hungarian noble.
He died at Algiers in 1895, aged 50 and the title passed to his
fourth cousin,
the thirteenth Duke.
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