[1] He matriculated at Christ Church, Oxford on 20 January 1866, where he took a Class III in Classical Moderations (Greek and Latin), and received a B.Mus.

Following Gladstone's defeat in 1885, Hamilton was appointed by the new prime minister, the Tory Lord Salisbury to a position in the Treasury.

On his arrival in 1885 he was appointed principal clerk in the Finance Division, and in 1892 he became Assistant Financial Secretary.

In October 1902 he was appointed a Joint Permanent Secretary to the Treasury, and continued as such until his death.

For his services to the monarchy, King Edward VII appointed him a Knight Commander of the Royal Victorian Order (KCVO) in July 1901.