1921
Hamilton
2009
Hamilton R. James
December 13, 1921 — March 26, 2009
Hamilton R. James, pioneering management consultant and former Chairman of Arthur D. Little International, died March 26, 2009 in Lincoln, Massachusetts. He was 87 years old.
Born in 1921 in Ft. Mitchell, Kentucky, Ham was raised in Grosse Point, Michigan and Luxembourg, the native country of his mother. He graduated from Phillips Academy Andover and Yale University, where he completed his degree in three years in order to enlist in the U.S. Army in 1943.
He landed and was wounded on Utah Beach on D-Day with the 79th Division under General Omar Bradley. He was a Forward Observer operating behind enemy lines for the U. S. Field Artillery and, with his native french, also acted as liaison to the Free French forces of Charles de Gaulle, proudly wearing the French Cross of Lorraine in that capacity. He fought from Normandy through Germany and into Czechoslovakia. The fighting was particularly heavy in Belgium and Mr. James was knighted as a Chevalier de la Couronne de Belgique by the King of Belgium for his extraordinary service in those battles. He was a Captain in the U. S. Army by the age of 23 and served as the ranking officer in the military government of Luxembourg after the hostilities. He was also responsible for the publicly important and diplomatically sensitive funeral of General George Patton, who wished to be buried with his men in the military cemetery in Hamm, Luxembourg.
After the war, he entered the new field of management consulting, joining Arthur D. Little in Cambridge, Massachusetts. He adored his years at Arthur D. Little, with its culture of a small elite group traveling the world to tackle some of business’s most interesting issues. Known for his sharp intellect, firm views and forceful manner, he rose to be head of Arthur D. Little’s global management consulting practice, helping to build the firm into a leader in the field at the time of his retirement in the 1980’s. Ham and some of his closest colleagues from those years continued to meet for lunches twice every week until his death.
Ham was a private person who loved his freedom and was always a bit of a rebel. He bristled at authority, needled the smug and the pompous, and scorned the greedy and the extravagant. For almost 60 years, Mr. James resided in Lincoln, Massachusetts and Naples, Maine.
He is survived by his beloved wife of 61 years, Waleska Evans James, four sons, Hamilton E of New York, David R. of Bolton, Benjamin B. of Concord and Michael T. of Haverford, PA, and ten grandchildren.
MEMORIAL SERVICE
Saturday - May 2, 2009 - 11:00 a.m.
The First Parish in Lincoln
14 Bedford Rd.
Lincoln, Ma. 01773
Rev. Roger Paine - Senior Minister
RECEPTION TO FOLLOW
DeCordova Museum
51 Sandy Pond Rd.
Lincoln, MA 01773
GIFTS IN HIS NAME MAY BE MADE TO:
DeCordova Museum
51 Sandy Pond Road
Lincoln, MA 01773.
www.decordova.org
Arrangements under the care of Glenn D. Burlamachi
CONCORD FUNERAL HOME
74 Belknap St.
Concord, Mass. 01742
www.concordfuneral.com
978/369-3388
Proud to be family owned, operated and occupied
Born in 1921 in Ft. Mitchell, Kentucky, Ham was raised in Grosse Point, Michigan and Luxembourg, the native country of his mother. He graduated from Phillips Academy Andover and Yale University, where he completed his degree in three years in order to enlist in the U.S. Army in 1943.
He landed and was wounded on Utah Beach on D-Day with the 79th Division under General Omar Bradley. He was a Forward Observer operating behind enemy lines for the U. S. Field Artillery and, with his native french, also acted as liaison to the Free French forces of Charles de Gaulle, proudly wearing the French Cross of Lorraine in that capacity. He fought from Normandy through Germany and into Czechoslovakia. The fighting was particularly heavy in Belgium and Mr. James was knighted as a Chevalier de la Couronne de Belgique by the King of Belgium for his extraordinary service in those battles. He was a Captain in the U. S. Army by the age of 23 and served as the ranking officer in the military government of Luxembourg after the hostilities. He was also responsible for the publicly important and diplomatically sensitive funeral of General George Patton, who wished to be buried with his men in the military cemetery in Hamm, Luxembourg.
After the war, he entered the new field of management consulting, joining Arthur D. Little in Cambridge, Massachusetts. He adored his years at Arthur D. Little, with its culture of a small elite group traveling the world to tackle some of business’s most interesting issues. Known for his sharp intellect, firm views and forceful manner, he rose to be head of Arthur D. Little’s global management consulting practice, helping to build the firm into a leader in the field at the time of his retirement in the 1980’s. Ham and some of his closest colleagues from those years continued to meet for lunches twice every week until his death.
Ham was a private person who loved his freedom and was always a bit of a rebel. He bristled at authority, needled the smug and the pompous, and scorned the greedy and the extravagant. For almost 60 years, Mr. James resided in Lincoln, Massachusetts and Naples, Maine.
He is survived by his beloved wife of 61 years, Waleska Evans James, four sons, Hamilton E of New York, David R. of Bolton, Benjamin B. of Concord and Michael T. of Haverford, PA, and ten grandchildren.
MEMORIAL SERVICE
Saturday - May 2, 2009 - 11:00 a.m.
The First Parish in Lincoln
14 Bedford Rd.
Lincoln, Ma. 01773
Rev. Roger Paine - Senior Minister
RECEPTION TO FOLLOW
DeCordova Museum
51 Sandy Pond Rd.
Lincoln, MA 01773
GIFTS IN HIS NAME MAY BE MADE TO:
DeCordova Museum
51 Sandy Pond Road
Lincoln, MA 01773.
www.decordova.org
Arrangements under the care of Glenn D. Burlamachi
CONCORD FUNERAL HOME
74 Belknap St.
Concord, Mass. 01742
www.concordfuneral.com
978/369-3388
Proud to be family owned, operated and occupied
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