Retired coal operator, philanthropist Hamilton dies

CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP) — Lawson W. Hamilton Jr., who stoked interests ranging from children’s health to the West Virginia Capitol’s gold dome with a fortune made in the coal industry, died Wednesday, friends said.

Hamilton, 84, was also known for his passion for the Kanawha River and the sternwheelers that once regularly plied its waters. Details regarding his death were not immediately available, though friends said he had been in poor health.

The Lewisburg resident’s tenure at the helm of Ford Coal Co. helped earn him a berth as one of the first inductees to the West Virginia Coal Hall of Fame in 1998.

“I think Lawson would epitomize the height of any West Virginia coal leader that I’ve known or been associated with,” said Ben Greene, retired from the former state Mining and Reclamation Association.

“He was such a caring and giving individual,” Greene said. “He took extremely good care of his employees. He treated everyone alike.”

With his millions, Hamilton helped found Kids Count, an initiative of The Annie E. Casey Foundation that tracks the health and well-being of children, in 1989. Another favorite cause was Charleston’s annual Sternwheel Regatta.

He also was among the original supporters of the Mary Babb Randolph Cancer Center at West Virginia University.

“What was extra special about Lawson was his humility in his generosity — he felt tremendous joy doing things for others. His support of young researchers enabled us to encourage the brightest minds to excel,” said Fred Butcher, interim vice president for Health Sciences at WVU and founding director of the cancer centr.

Greene noted that Hamilton often donated anonymously. That giving included about $500,000 worth of gold leaf in 1990 to adorn the Capitol dome. He revealed his largess later that decade, to join calls for much-needed repairs.

“He was an absolute giant among men in terms of his generosity and compassion for others,” said Gov. Joe Manchin, a Democrat and former coal broker who knew Hamilton for more than 30 years. “He did more for his fellow human beings throughout his lifetime than I think we’ll ever truly know.”

Hamilton owned several sternwheelers in his life. Perhaps the most well-known was the P.A. Denny, christened in memorial to a longtime friend and fellow coal executive after his death in the 1970s. After decades as an excursion craft on the Kanawha River, it became a floating classroom for schoolchildren after Hamilton sold it in 2005.

Hamilton also proved a generous political donor, usually for Republican candidates and causes. He contributed more than $105,000 to federal and state campaigns in the last decade, including $25,000 for the inauguration of then-Gov. Cecil Underwood in 1997.

“He was larger than life in his generosity, kindheartedness, business success and in his general love of life,” said U.S. Rep. Shelley Moore Capito, R-W.Va. “Words cannot express how lonely West Virginia will be without Lawson Hamilton.”