Frederic C. Hamilton

Frederic C. Hamilton (September 25, 1927-September 30, 2016) died peacefully after a brief illness in Denver, Colorado. He was born in Columbus, Ohio and spent much of his childhood in Springfield, Illinois. He attended Millbrook and Lawrenceville Schools in high school and Babson College. Fred served in the U.S. Air Force. With a $5,000 loan from their mother, the Hamilton brothers became some of the most successful wildcatters in the emerging oil and gas business, with a presence in many major fields and an enormous success in Canada as well as the British part of the North Sea. Fred’s hope for his legacy, to quote a recent article was “I’d like people to remember me as hard working and that I worked all my life. I’d like to be known as someone with integrity. That I had understanding and sensitivity to people. And as someone cognizant that you have to give back to the system when you’ve been successful. You can’t just take. You have to give back.” Hamilton Brothers became one of the most successful small oil and gas companies and was ultimately sold to BHP in early 1990 with a spun-off company, Tejas Gas sold to Shell Corporation shortly thereafter. Fred continued to invest in business his entire life, creating an investment office called The Hamilton Companies in the 1990’s that invest in all forms of private equity and alternative investments as well as in operating companies and in real estate. Over time, he devoted an increasing amount of time to philanthropy. One of his greatest contributions to the Denver community was encouraging institutions to create independent foundations that would provide support to charities far into the future. He gave generously of time and money to the Denver Art Museum, including an art bequest of significance to the Museum’s Impressionist collection. He also served on the Council of the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C. He supported many local schools, including Graland Country Day School and Denver University where his wife Jane was a longstanding Trustee. He also supported St Paul’s School as well as Millbrook School, New York, and Babson College’s Entrepreneurial Program. Fred gave generously to the medical community including Children’s Hospital and a variety of research programs at Colorado University/Anschutz Hospital in Denver, including macular degeneration and endocrinology. Earlier Fred endowed a Chair in Cardiology at Weill Cornell Medical College in New York. Fred was an avid sportsman; he liked to fish and to hunt birds in particular. He enjoyed golf his entire life, belonging to many of the most illustrious and challenging golf institutions in America. Fred leaves Jane, his wife of 64 years and his four children, Christy H. McGraw (Ted), Fred, Jr. (Emory), Crawford (Sue) and Tom (Eugenie) as well as ten grandchildren. Service is at The Denver Art Museum at 5 pm October 6, 2016. Memorial donations may be made to The Denver Art Museum Foundation or Ducks Unlimited.