Duncan Lowe CB Douglas McBain William McCance Margery Palmer McCulloch Margo MacDonald MP Professor Sir Alistair MacFarlane CBE Major General John McGhie CB Professor Edward McCombie McGirr CBE Dr. Robert McIntyre MP Alastair McWhirter Professor Thomas J Mackie CBE MD LLD Dr. Robert Macnish Professor John Millar David Morrison Dr. Robert Franklin Muirhead Sir David King Murray, Lord Birnam MP and judge Robert Hamilton Paterson Lieutenant-Colonel Dr David Paton Walter Perrie Henry Cunison Rankin James Gordon Reid Rev. Dr. David Syme Russell CBE Professor James Shepherd Lord Stallard MP Air Vice-Marshal William Kilpatrick Stewart CB CBE AFC Dr. Alexander Burt Taylor CBE Professor Samuel Thomson David Thorburn Dr. David Warnock OBE Alan Watson Tom Watson Sir Robert Wright DSO OBE Hamilton Academy and rugby and football clubs Hamilton Academy FP (former pupil) Rugby Club was founded in 1927 (closed for the duration of World War II, 1939–45) and continues as Hamilton Rugby Football Club (Hamilton RFC.) From 1946 to 1955 the 14th Duke of Hamilton, whose ancestors had endowed the school, was President of the club and in later years James Morris, Head of 'Classics' at Hamilton Academy and himself a former pupil of the school, served as club President. The Club continues to play its home games at Laigh Bent, the former Hamilton Academy's playing fields. The school gave its name to Hamilton Academical F.C., founded in 1874 by Hamilton Academy Rector James Blacklock and pupils as the 'Hamilton Academical Cricket and Football Club.' The cricket part of the name was dropped in 1877, but over time the club became known as Hamilton Academicals. The 's' was officially dropped in 1965, the club returning to Academical. On Hamilton Academicals being promoted to the First Division of the Scottish Football League in 1953, a letter to the Editor appeared in the Glasgow Herald of 13 June, suggesting that the club's directors might now consider dropping the 'Academicals' part of the name, although the correspondent acknowledges that the club was founded of "former pupils of that famous school." In testament to its foundation (by the then Rector and former pupils of Hamilton Academy) the club has retained its name, Hamilton Academical F.C. (Hamilton Accies) and is the only professional football club in Britain that was founded of a school team. Hamilton Academy FP (former pupil) amateur football club, now Hamilton FP AFC, continues as a member of the Scottish Amateur Football