Hamilton Fish

Lore & Background

Fish came from prominence and wealth, with a Dutch American family long-established in New York City. He attended Columbia College, studied law, and was admitted to the New York bar in 1830. After an unsuccessful run for the New York State Assembly in 1834, he was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 1843. He later served as lieutenant governor and then governor of New York, and was elected U.S. senator in 1851. Fish was a moderate on slavery, opposing the Kansas–Nebraska Act and the expansion of slavery.

After the Civil War, Fish returned to law practice but was appointed secretary of state by President Grant in 1869. He reorganized the State Department, established civil service reform, and implemented international arbitration. He settled the Alabama Claims with the United Kingdom, avoided war with Spain over the Virginius incident, and organized a peace conference between South American countries and Spain. In 1875, he negotiated a reciprocal trade treaty for sugar production with the Kingdom of Hawai'i.

Reader's Guide

Hamilton Fish's significance lies in his tenure as secretary of state under President Grant, where he is considered one of the most effective in U.S. history. His hallmark achievement was the Treaty of Washington, which peacefully settled the Alabama Claims through international arbitration, a concept he developed. He also kept the United States out of war with Spain during the Virginius incident. Fish's legacy includes his calm demeanor, honesty, and loyalty, though historians note he lacked empathy for African Americans and opposed annexation of Latin American countries. His male descendants served in the U.S. House of Representatives for three generations.

Did You Know?

• Fish was named after his parents' friend Alexander Hamilton, the first U.S. Secretary of the Treasury.
• He was a direct descendant of New Amsterdam's Director-General Peter Stuyvesant through his mother.
• Fish organized a naval expedition in an unsuccessful attempt to open trade with Korea in 1871.
• He worked with James Milton Turner to settle the Liberia-Grebo War in 1876.