Hamilton Henry Gray (June 29, 1827 – October 14, 1902) was an American farmer, Democratic politician, and one of the founders of Darlington, Wisconsin.
At age 13, Hamilton went off on his own, traveling to the lead mining region of the Wisconsin Territory and seeking work.
He mined $800 worth of lead (roughly $30,000 adjusted for inflation to 2022) and took the money to Belvidere, Illinois, where he entered a private academy for education.
John Keep was a land dealer as well as attorney, and he was incapacitated by illness only three months after Gray went to work under him.
Also during this time, he opened mills and storehouses in Beloit to sell flour to new settlers in the region, and dealt in livestock with money from wealthy east-coast investors.
[3] The next year, he was chosen as the Democratic nominee for Lieutenant Governor of Wisconsin, but he lost the general election to Thaddeus C. Pound, receiving 46% of the vote.