Ed Hamilton

In June 2009, Hamilton completed work on the memorial statue of Abraham Lincoln which is located near the base of the Big Four Bridge at the Waterfront Park in Louisville, Kentucky.

In 2006, Hamilton self-published an autobiography, The Birth of An Artist: a journey of discovery, in which he talked about his work and the creative process. The book was a popular feature of the Kentucky Book Fair in 2007. While working on the book, Hamilton, at age 57, discovered that he was adopted.

On December 16, 2004, Hamilton received a Doctor of Arts honorary Degree from the University of Louisville. Two days later, December 18, 2004, Hamilton received an Honorary Doctor of Arts Degree from Western Kentucky University.

Ed Hamilton was born in Cincinnati, Ohio and raised in Louisville by Amy Jane (Camp) and Edward Norton Hamilton, Sr. He graduated from Shawnee High School (Kentucky) in 1965, then received a scholarship to Louisville's Art Center, where he studied sculpture and painting. He graduated from the Louisville School of Art in 1969 and also studied at Spalding University and started his teaching career in 1973 at Iroquois High School.

Edward Norton Hamilton, Jr. (born February 14, 1947) is an American sculptor living in Louisville, Kentucky, who specializes in public art. His most famous work is The Spirit of Freedom, a memorial to black Civil War veterans, that stands in Washington, DC, in the Shaw neighborhood near Howard University. Hamilton has also created monuments dedicated to Booker T. Washington, Joe Louis, York (William Clark's manservant on the Lewis and Clark Expedition), and the slaves who revolted on La Amistad.