Clayton Hamilton (1881–1946)

Clayton Hamilton (14 Nov. 1881-17 Sept. 1946), educator and drama critic, was born in Brooklyn, New York, the son of George Alexander Hamilton, a merchant, and Susan Amelia Corey. Christened Clayton Meeker Hamilton, he deleted his middle name before he reached age twenty-one. His interest in a life of letters began during his youth. He received a B.A. from the Polytechnic Institute of Brooklyn in 1900 and an M.A. from Columbia University in 1901. Hamilton married Gladys Coates in 1913; they had two children.Like many critics before and during his time, Hamilton was a playwright himself. His works include A Night at the Inn (1906); The Love That Blinds, with Grace Isabel Colborn (1906); Heart of Punchinello (1906); It'll All Come Out in the Wash, with Gilbert Emery (1906); The Stranger at the Inn (1913); The Big Idea, with A.ÊE. Thomas (1914); The Morning Star, with Bernard Voight (1915); Thirty Days, with A.ÊE. Thomas (1916); The Better Understanding, with A.ÊE. Thomas (1917); and Friend Indeed, with Bernard Voight (1926). Hamilton enjoyed mixed success with his plays.