George Hamilton-Gordon, 5th Earl of Aberdeen

Who was George Hamilton-Gordon, 5th Earl of Aberdeen?

George John James Hamilton-Gordon, 5th Earl of Aberdeen, styled Lord Haddo before 1860, was a British peer and Liberal Party politician.

Lord Haddo was born at Bentley Priory in Hertfordshire, the eldest son of the 4th Earl of Aberdeen and was educated at Harrow School and Trinity College, Cambridge. On 5 November 1840, he married Mary Baillie at Taymouth Castle and they had six children: George who died unmarried, James Henry, in his rooms in Cambridge, John Campbell, Mary, Harriet and Katherine Eliza.

His uncle, William Gordon, had retired as Member of Parliament for Aberdeenshire in 1854 and Haddo put himself forward as his successor. However, Haddo had contracted what was probably tuberculosis and he went to Egypt to spend a few months in a warm climate. Despite being absent from Scotland and not having canvassed the constituency, Haddo won the election and returned to take his seat in the House of Commons, in good health, a year later. He left the Commons after inheriting his father's title in 1860 and made a second trip to Egypt. Aberdeen had previously converted to evangelicalism and it was in Egypt that he campaigned for the Coptics to convert to his own faith. Aberdeen later returned to Scotland and died at his home, Haddo House in 1864. He was buried at Methlick and was succeeded by his eldest son, George. His last words were "Perfectly comfortable".