Lord Frederick Spencer Hamilton

Lord Frederick Spencer Hamilton (13 October 1856 – 11 August 1928) was a British aristocrat, Conservative politician, diplomat, and author.

He was born in Brighton as the sixth son and thirteenth child of James Hamilton, Marquess of Abercorn, and Louisa, Marchioness of Abercorn. His father was created the 1st Duke of Abercorn in 1868. His mother was the daughter of the 6th Duke of Bedford and was a half-sister to John Russell, who served as Prime Minister.

Among his diplomatic appointments, Lord Frederick served as Second Secretary of the Diplomatic Service from 1877 to 1884. He also represented Manchester South West as a Member of Parliament from 1885 to 1886 and North Tyrone from 1892 to 1895.

In addition to his political and diplomatic work, Lord Frederick authored a three-volume set of books collectively titled "My Yesterdays," published in 1920 by Hodder and Stoughton. The volumes include "The Days Before Yesterday," "Vanished Pomps of Yesterday," and "Here, There and Everywhere." These works provide detailed accounts of his early life, diplomatic career, and travels.

During his service as aide-de-camp to Lord Lansdowne, then Governor-General of Canada, Lord Frederick was stationed in Ottawa. In January 1887, he became the first person to introduce skiing to Canada, bringing skis from Russia and demonstrating their use on toboggan slides in Ottawa. He noted that his skis were initially met with amusement and skepticism, with some believing they would not find popularity in Canada.

Beyond his diplomatic and literary pursuits, Lord Frederick served as editor of the Pall Mall Magazine from 1896 to 1900. He did not marry and died without children at the age of 71, at his residence at 13 Great College Street, Westminster.

His works have been digitized and are available through Project Gutenberg, including the three-volume "My Yesterdays," and other collections such as "The Vanished Pomps of Yesterday" and "Here, There and Everywhere." His contributions to parliamentary debates are recorded in Hansard, and his writings are also accessible via the Internet Archive and the Library of Congress.

References and external links include entries in Thom's Irish Who's Who (1923) and various online archives that document his publications and contributions.