Fish, Hamilton (1808-1893), was an American statesman. Fish served as United States secretary of state from 1869 to 1877, during the presidency of Ulysses S. Grant.
As secretary of state, Fish negotiated the Treaty of Washington, which was signed in 1871 by the United States and the United Kingdom. Under this treaty, the two countries agreed to refer the Alabama Claims to a special court for arbitration. The Alabama Claims were U.S. demands for British payment for damage done by British-built Confederate warships during the American Civil War (1861-1865). The ships, the most famous of which was the Alabama, had destroyed many Union ships.
Fish was born on Aug. 3, 1808, in New York City. He graduated from Columbia College (now part of Columbia University) in 1827. He became a lawyer in 1830. From 1843 to 1845, Fish represented New York in the United States House of Representatives. In 1849 and 1850, he served as governor of New York. He served in the United States Senate from 1851 to 1857. As senator, Fish opposed the spread of slavery to new territories. He died on Sept. 7, 1893.
