Andrew Hamilton (lawyer)
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- This page is about a famous lawyer; see Andrew Hamilton (disambiguation) for other meanings.
Andrew Hamilton (c. 1676 – August 4, 1741) was a Scottish-American lawyer in the colonial era.
He is best known for his victory on behalf of newspaper publisher John Peter Zenger. This 1735 decision helped to establish that truth is a defense to an accusation of libel. His eloquent defense was concluded with the notion that the press has "a liberty both of exposing and opposing tyrannical power by speaking and writing truth."
In defending Zenger, Hamilton had worked for free. In gratitude for what he had done, the Common Council of New York awarded Hamilton the freedom of that city. In addition, a group of prominent residents contributed to the production of a 5½ ounce gold box that was presented to Hamilton as a lasting mark of their gratitude to him. The box was preserved as a family heirloom for many years and is now in the custody of the Atwater-Kent Municipal Museum near Independence Hall, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (It is not on display.) Each year the Philadelphia Bar Association presents a replica of that box to the outgoing Chancellor of the Association. A Latin motto inscribed on the box, identical to one on the original, has the English translation “Acquired not by money, but by character.”
Hamilton watch company was named after Andrew Hamilton. The name, Hamilton, was selected to honor Andrew Hamilton, original owner of the site of Lancaster. Andrew Hamilton, the Scottish born immigrant who is perhaps best remembered as the architect for Philadelphia's Independence Hall and Pennsylvania's attorney general from 1729 to 1739.
Lancaster became the fourth county in the state of Pennsylvania in 1729, whose principal founder was Andrew Hamilton. The community was located on a 500 acre (2 km²) tract owned by Andrew Hamilton, on which he laid out Lancaster Townstead around 1730. By 1734, James Hamilton, proprietor of Lancaster town and son of the distinguished lawyer Andrew Hamilton, won a seat in the Assembly and became the political leader of the county. In 1742, Andrew’s son James secured the original charter of government, which gave the settlement the status of borough. (This charter can be found today in the city clerk’s office.)