Sam A. Hamilton was born in Fitzroy Harbor, Ontario in 1875. He was educated in the local schools as well as Almonte and Renfrew Collegiate institutes.
At 18 years of age he traveled west for a year and worked in Oxbow, returning to Ontario in 1893 and was engaged in the lumber business for nine years. At that point he again came to Radisson, Saskatchewan were he again partook in the lumber business.

He came to Moose Jaw in 1907 involved in the lumber trade until 1911 when he sold in favor of coal and wood business. He was a coal merchant in Moose Jaw for many years, retired in 1949 to live in Victoria, British Columbia.

He became Mayor of Moose Jaw in 1919 and again in 1920, and served as an Alderman for the city for several years. He was keenly interested in politics both as a Conservative and a candidate for several offices

He died at the age of 82 on January 27, 1957. He was married to wife Jessie, had a son Dr. Kenneth Hamilton (a Rhodes Scholar) and a daughter Mrs. Alfred (Jean) Bailey. A sister, Mrs. Mary L. Borrowman, and a brother, Robert J. Hamilton, also survived him.