Associate Chief Justice Hamilton was born in Winnipeg, Manitoba, to the late Judge F.A.E. Hamilton of the Winnipeg Juvenile Court and Aleda Hamilton, and attended Grosvenor, Robert H. Smith and Kelvin High School. He and his wife Lorna have four adult children. After some time in the Canadian Infantry he attended United College and the Manitoba Law School, graduating in 1950. He practiced law in Winnipeg, Roblin, Melita, and Brandon between 1951 and 1971, was appointed Queen’s Counsel in 1968, and was a Bencher of the Law Society of Manitoba. His main areas of practice were civil litigation and criminal defence.