Alexander Greenlaw Hamilton

Alexander Greenlaw Hamilton (14 April 1852 – 21 October 1941) was an Australian naturalist and teacher born in Ireland. A former president of the Linnean Society of New South Wales, he was known for his studies of desert plants and pollination as well as birds and terrestrial worms.

Life Hamilton was born in Bailieborough, Ireland, son of Alexander Greenlaw Hamilton and his wife Joyce, née Wynne. The family migrated to New South Wales in 1866, around Hamilton's 14th birthday. In the same year, he succeeded in passing the examination demanded by the Education Department of New South Wales to teach in the country schools. However, he was considered too young to be placed in full charge of a school. As a result, his mother was recognised as the responsible agent of the school and young Hamilton as her assistant, although he was actually responsible for the whole instruction. The school was in Fish River Creek and later, in mid-1869, when the family moved to Meadow Flat, Hamilton was placed officially in charge of the school. During his career, Hamilton published many papers on pollination and plant fertilisation, morphology of xerophytic and carnivorous plants, as well as botanical and ornithological checklists. He is commemorated in the names of several organisms, including the plants Drosera hamiltonii, Pterostylis hamiltonii, and Scaevola hamiltonii, the earthworm Spenceriella hamiltonii, and a subspecies of the southern cassowary, Casuarius casuarius hamiltoni.

Hamilton died at his home in Chastwood on 21 October 1941. He was cremated following Anglican rites.