Obituary: William Haring Hamilton, descendent of Alexander Hamilton

William Haring Hamilton of Greenport died Jan. 17 in Riverhead. He was 91. He previously resided in Oradell, N.J., for 36 years and Claryville, N.Y., for 14 years.

The son of William Haring Hamilton and Gladys (Mayer) Hamilton, he was born April 30, 1924, in Elizabeth, N.J. His daughter, Ann Hamilton Duprey, said that “he was a proud sixth-generation direct descendent of Alexander Hamilton and had been mentioned in a Suffolk Times article for having a similar facial profile to the first U.S. Secretary of the Treasury.”

Mr. Hamilton received a Bachelor of Science in electrical engineering from Union College in Schenectady, N.Y. He served in the U.S. Army for three years during World War II, achieving the rank of sergeant. He trained at Camp Upton in Yaphank and was stationed in San Francisco before being sent overseas to Guam in 1944.

After returning home, he met Eleanor “Pat” Patterson. They married Sept. 10, 1949, in Hempstead.

Mr. Hamilton worked for 37 years as an electrical engineer for PSE&G of New Jersey in Newark.

He served as the New York representative to the Society of the Cincinnati, an Indian Guides leader, was a board member of the Frost Valley YMCA for 30 years, a member of the planning board for the Town of Denning, N.Y., president of the buildings and grounds committee at Peconic Landing in Greenport and was on various church committees in River Edge, N.J., Claryville and Southold.

Ms. Duprey said her father was an avid reader who also enjoyed tennis, hiking, cross-country skiing, biking and running. He also loved the mountains.

Predeceased by his brothers John and James in 1981, Mr. Hamilton is survived by his wife and daughter; his sons, William and David, both of River Edge, and John, of Hackensack, N.J.; his brother, Alan, of Lockport, N.Y.; and eight grandchildren.

The family will receive visitors Friday, Jan. 22, from 4 to 8 p.m. at Horton-Mathie Funeral Home in Greenport. A funeral service will take place at 10:30 a.m. Saturday, Jan. 23, at First Presbyterian Church of Southold, the Rev. Dr. Peter Kelley officiating. Interment will take place at Calverton National Cemetery at a date and time to be determined.

Memorial donations may be made to First Presbyterian Church of Southold or a charity of the donor’s choosing.

Photo Caption: William Hamilton pictured a little over four months ago with his wife Pat as they recounted their experiences in World War II.