Richard F. Hamilton Obituary - Visitation & Funeral Information

18 January 1930 - 15 June 2022 In Columbus, Ohio, at First Community Village, Richard F. Hamilton quietly and peacefully passed away at the age of 92. He is survived by his wife of 64 years, Irene; two sons, Carl and Tilman (Cynthia); three grandchildren, Rhys, Devon and Cormick; and Howard, his younger brother. He was predeceased by his older brother Jack. Though we are in sorrow, we are thankful that the immediate family was able to visit and say goodbye in the days preceding his passing. Richard was a proud native of Kenmore (Buffalo), New York. Always getting top grades, he had a rare ability to easily assimilate whatever the teacher taught, without needing to take notes. Upon graduation from Kenmore High School, Richard spent one year at the University of Michigan, then transferred to the University of Chicago where he received a B.A (1950), followed by a M.A. (1953) and a PhD (1963) from Columbia University, both in sociology. His education was temporarily interrupted in the mid-1950s, when he spent three years in Germany, the first two for compulsory military service (Army). During this time he became fluent in German and met and married Irene Wagner (12 August 1957). Back stateside, Richard began his career teaching (political) sociology: Skidmore College (1957-59), followed by Harpur College (1959-64), Princeton University (1964-66, Assistant Professor), the University of Wisconsin--Madison (1967-70, Associate Professor to Professor), McGill University (1970-86) and finally at The Ohio State University (1986-98). He continued his affiliation with Ohio State at the Mershon Center as a research associate until 2017. Richard was first and foremost an intellectual and a scholar. He believed that publishing academic works was of primary importance. The result was fifteen books and some seventy articles authored or co-authored by him, two of his more notable being Class and Politics in the United States (1972) and Who Voted for Hitler? (1982). A love of classical music meant that Saturday afternoon Metropolitan Opera broadcasts filled the rooms of wherever home was. And, of course, he frequently attended Montreal, Columbus and Cleveland symphony concerts. Other pastimes included singing in choirs, extemporizing on piano, visits to the Stratford (Ontario) and Shaw Festivals, travelling and jogging, an activity he took up around the age of 50 and continued into his eighties. We wish to thank Riverside Methodist Hospital, the Healthcare Center at First Community Village, National Church Residences Hospice, Dr. Hollister, Gina Rogers and Janet Oberliesen for all their attentive care of Richard in his final weeks. It was your help that made his passing as comfortable and pain-free as possible. Diligent, meticulous and precise, his emphasis on intellectual rigor, an insistence on factual accuracy and his quirky sense of humor will continue to echo in those who knew him well. Richard, Dick, Dad, Opa, we’ll miss you. Memories and/or condolences may be left at www.buckeyecremation.com.

Richard F. Hamilton

January 18, 1930 - June 15, 2022