ABERDEEN

George Hamilton Gordon , 4 Earl of ( 1 son of George Gordon, styled Lord Haddo 1764–91, by Charlotte, youngest dau. of Wm. Baird of Newbyth, co. Hadding ton, she d. 8 Oct. 1795 ). b. Edinburgh 28 Jany. 1784; ed. at Harrow, and St. John’s coll. Cam., M.A. 1804; succeeded his grandfather 13 Aug. 1801; visited Greece, Turkey and Ru ia; founded A then i an society 1804, of which no one might be a member who had not visited Athens; rep. peer Scotland 15 Dec. 1806–1 June 1814; K.T. 16 March 1808; amba ador to Vienna 29 July 1813–April 1814, when he prevailed with the Emperor to join the allied sovereigns against Napoleon by treaty of Toplitz 9 Sep. 1813; present at battles of Dresden and Leipsic; signed treaty of peace at Paris 1 June 1814; created a peer of the U.K. as Viscount Gordon of Aberdeen, co. Aberdeen 1 June 1814; P.C. 23 July 1814; took name of Hamilton before that of Gordon by royal license 13 Nov. 1818; chancellor of univ. of Aberdeen 1827; chancellor of duchy of Lancaster 26 Jan. 1828–2 June 1828; sec. of state for foreign affairs 2 June 1828–2 Nov. 1830 and 2 Sep. 1841–5 July 1846; sec. of state for the colonies 5 June 1834–18 April 1835; ranger of Green wich park 1 Feb. 1845; lord lieut. of Aberdeen shire 23 April 1846; first lord of the treasury 28 Dec. 1852–1 Feb. 1855; an elder brother of Trinity house Nov. 1853–54; a comr. for executing office of treasurer of exchequer of Great Britain, and lord high treasurer of Ireland 6 Mch. 1854; president of Society of Antiquaries 1812–46; F.R.S. 28 April 1808, F.R.G.S. 1830, K.G. 7 Feb. 1855; visited by the Queen at Haddo house, 15 Oct. 1857; author of Inquiry into principles of beauty in Grecian architecture , 1822. ( m. (1) 28 July 1805 Catherine Elizabeth, 3 dau. of John James Hamilton, 1 Marque of Abercorn, she was b. 10 Jan. 1784, and d. 29 Feb. 1812. m. (2) 8 July 1815 Harriet, 2 dau. of honble. John Douglas and widow of James Hamilton, eld. son of 1 Marque of Abercorn, she was b. 8 June 1792, and d. 26 Aug. 1833). d. 7 Argyll st. Regent st. London 14 Dec. 1860. bur. in family vault at Stan more 21 Dec. Correspondence of Earl of Aberdeen 1850–53 , privately printed 1880; Edinburgh Review , clviii , 547–77 (1883); Thirty years of foreign policy 1854; Proc. of Royal Society of Edin. iv , 477–83 (1862); The British cabinet in 1853 , pp. 7–43, pt. ; Jerdan’s National portrait gallery , vol. 3, pt. ; I.L.N. i , 461 (1842), xx , 1, (1853) xxxvii , 635 (1860) pts. ; A.R. (1860) 376–83. Note. —Lord Byron in his “English bards and Scotch reviewers,” refers to him as “The travelled Thane, A then i an Aberdeen.” He was allowed the very rare distinction of being permitted to retain the order of the Thistle, together with that of the Garter. Exclusive of royalty, 12 Knights of the Thistle (since the re-establishment of the order in 1687), have been elected to the Garter, of these 12 only 4 have retained both orders.