Hamilton served as a Distinguished Scholar in the Hamilton Lugar School of Global and International Studies and as a Professor of Practice in the School of Public and Environmental Affairs at Indiana University.
A leading figure on foreign policy, intelligence, and national security, Hamilton served as Vice Chairman of the 9/11 Commission and Co-Chairman of the bipartisan Iraq Study Group. Until recently, he served as Co-Chair of the U.S. Department of Energy’s Blue Ribbon Commission on America’s Nuclear Future with General Brent Scowcroft and as a member of the President’s Intelligence Advisory Board.
Continuing to play a leading role in public affairs, he was at the center of efforts to address some of our nation’s highest-profile homeland security and foreign policy challenges. He was a member of the President’s Homeland Security Advisory Council.
Among his published works were How Congress Works and Why You Should Care, Strengthening Congress, and Congress, Presidents, and American Politics. He wrote twice-monthly commentaries about Congress and what individuals can do to make representative democracy work better. He was a frequent contributor to the national press.
Hamilton graduated from DePauw University and Indiana University School of Law. A former high school and college basketball star, he was inducted into the Indiana Basketball Hall of Fame in 1982. He was married to Nancy Ann Hamilton for 58 years until her death in 2012. They had three children and five grandchildren.
Rep. Hamilton passed away February 3, 2026 at age 94.
