Paul Hamilton (October 16, 1762 – June 30, 1816) was the 3rd United States Secretary of the Navy, from 1809 to 1813. Paul Hamilton was born in Saint Paul's Parish, South Carolina, on October 16, 1762. He left school at the age of sixteen due to financial problems. During the American War of Independence he served in military roles in the southern states, fighting under General Francis Marion. He participated with Colonel William Harden in the capture of Fort Balfour. Following the war, he was a planter and public figure. Hamilton served South Carolina in many public offices including state Representative (1787), State Senator (1794), Comptroller (1800), and the 42nd Governor (1804). In 1809, President James Madison selected Hamilton to become the third Secretary of the Navy. His term in office included the first months of the War of 1812, during which time the small United States Navy achieved several remarkable victories over British warships. Hamilton was a proponent of military preparedness, especially sea fortifications. Although he wanted to strengthen the Navy, he found the Congress hostile and the President indifferent to his ideas. However, he was responsible for the Naval Hospitals Act of 1811. Secretary Hamilton resigned at the end of 1812 and returned to South Carolina, where he died in Beaufort on June 30, 1816. Three Navy destroyers have been named in his honor along with and one Liberty ship named . Also bearing his name is the town of Hamilton, Georgia. References External links SCIway Biography of Paul Hamilton NGA Biography of Paul Hamilton Paul Hamilton Papers at the University of South Carolina Library's Digital Collections Page (letters from 1802 to 1812) 1762 births 1816 deaths Members of the South Carolina House of Representatives South Carolina state senators Governors of South Carolina University of South Carolina trustees United States Secretaries of the Navy United States Army personnel of the War of 1812 Farmers from South Carolina South Carolina militiamen in the American Revolution American planters American slave owners South Carolina Democratic-Republicans Madison administration cabinet members Democratic-Republican Party state governors of the United States 18th-century American politicians 19th-century American politicians Comptrollers General of South Carolina