Cleric, professor, artist, author.
Born in the United Kingdom in 1917, he lived in his early years at Eastbourne, England. He attended private schools there before going to London to further his education, eventually earning a Doctorate of Theology, Doctorate of Philosophy, and a Master’s degree in English Literature. He served as a minister in Nottingham and Wallington, England. After arriving in Canada, he was a minister at Elmsdale, Nova Scotia for seven years. While there, in 1943 he married Alice Blanche Lewis. They went on to have three children.
In 1958, he and his family moved to Winnipeg, where he joined the teaching staff of United College (later the University of Winnipeg) in the Faculty of Theology. His long and renowned career is evidenced by the number of former students and colleagues who maintained contact with him and remembered his influence and brilliance over many decades.
He was also a gifted and prolific artist. Each December the Library Mezzanine at the University of Winnipeg featured an exhibit of his watercolours. At the 15th art exhibition, the Board of Regents dedicated the Kenneth and Alice Hamilton Galleria in honour of him and his wife. He always believed the library to be the heart of a university, and each year donated the proceeds from the sale of his paintings to Library Acquisitions, making it the single largest annual fundraising event organized by the Library.
He was also the author of 31 published books and numerous essays and articles on a wide variety of topics, including philosophy, theology, ethics, and critical literature. One of his most notable books, God Is Dead, was released in 1965. With his intellectual curiosity and compunction to place things in an orderly perspective, he became known as the “publishing professor,” having for a long time written a book a year. His comments regarding various authors were well known, especially his writings on American author, John Updike. He remained a devout Christian throughout his life with a special reverence for the New Testament, which he found to be “full of hope.”
After the death of Alice, he married Bertha May “Birdie” Ellison (1921-2012) on 7 October 1992. In his retirement years, he and Birdie travelled extensively. Some highlights of their travels included a flight on the Concorde supersonic aircraft, a cruise on the Queen Elizabeth 2 ocean liner, and taking the Chunnel from England to France.
He died at Winnipeg on 27 June 2009.
Obituary, Winnipeg Free Press, 30 June 2009.
“Kenneth Morrison Hamilton, Rev. Dr.,” Lang Family Tree, Ancestry.
This page was prepared by Lois Braun.
Page revised: 23 February 2025
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