Sir Charles Hamilton, 2nd Baronet, of Trebinshun House

Who was Sir Charles Hamilton, 2nd Baronet, of Trebinshun House?

Sir Charles Hamilton, 2nd Baronet was a British naval officer and governor of Newfoundland.

Hamilton was born in Britain in 1767. He began his naval career at the age of nine on his father's ship, the Hector. He attended the Royal Naval Academy at Portsmouth from 1777 to 1779. He commanded a number of vessels in the Royal Navy and was also a member of the British parliament several times between 1790 and 1812 while still serving in the Royal Navy. He became baronet of Trebinshun on his father's death in 1784. From 1814 to 1817, he was Lieutenant Governor of Heligoland.

He served as resident governor for the colony of Newfoundland from 1818 to 1823. During this period, he oversaw the reconstruction of St. John's following fires in 1818 and 1819. Although he was charged with promoting agriculture, he was soon discouraged by the poor soils of the island. The economy of the island was depressed due to decreased demand for Newfoundland cod and Hamilton encouraged diversification of the fisheries to include whales, seals and salmon.

His wife, Lady Hamilton, painted a well-known portrait of Demasduwit, also called Mary March, a Beothuk woman captured in 1818.