Hamilton, Charles

Hamilton, Charles (1913–  ) autograph authority; born in Ludington, Mich. He grew up in Flint, Mich. and made his first acquisition (a Rudyard Kipling autograph) at age 12. He served in the U.S. Army Air Corps (1942–45) and in 1952 began to specialize in identifying handwriting and autographs. He established Charles Hamilton Galleries, Inc., in New York City in 1963, the first American auction gallery devoted exclusively to autographs. He wrote numerous books, including The Signature of America: A Fresh Look at Famous Handwriting (1979). An expert at spotting forgeries, he became engaged in several notable controversial cases.

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Hamilton, Charles (Memorial) (1840–75) U.S. representative; born in Clinton County, Pa. A lawyer, he enlisted in the Union army in 1861 and went with the military government to Florida in 1865, serving as a Republican representative (1868–71), once Florida was readmitted to Congress.