Holmes was born July 8, 1941 in Atlanta, Georgia. His father, Alfred, was an Atlanta businessman and his mother, Isabella, was a teacher. His grandfather, Hamilton Mayo Holmes, was a physician, and was one of Hamilton's influences. His grandfather and uncle, Oliver Wendell Holmes, helped to desegregate golf courses in Atlanta in 1955. In his high school years, Holmes attended Henry McNeal Turner High School, which at the time was considered one of the most prestigious high schools for African-Americans in Atlanta. He graduated in 1959 as valedictorian. He was also a member of his high school's football and basketball teams.
After graduating from high school, Holmes, along with fellow Henry McNeal Turner High School graduate Charlayne Hunter, applied to the University of Georgia in the fall of 1959; however, both were denied. After this, Holmes enrolled at Morehouse College, while he and Hunter continued to apply to the University of Georgia every quarter. Meanwhile, Holmes sought membership and was initiated into the Alpha Rho chapter of Alpha Phi Alpha at Morehouse College. In January 1961, both Holmes and Hunter were admitted to UGA. During his time at UGA, Holmes would generally keep to himself. He lived off campus, and on the weekends, he would return home to Atlanta where he continued his membership with the Morehouse College chapter of Alpha Phi Alpha until 1963. Holmes was a member of Phi Beta Kappa fraternity and Phi Kappa Phi Honors fraternity.
After graduating from the University of Georgia, Holmes became the first African-American student to be accepted to the Emory University School of Medicine. He graduated in 1967 and began his residency at Detroit General Hospital. He then left in 1969 to serve as an army ranger in Germany, before returning to Emory to complete his residency. He eventually opened up a private practice in Atlanta, later becoming a professor and associate dean at Emory, and the medical director and head orthopedic surgeon at Grady Memorial Hospital.
Personal life
Holmes was married to Marilyn Vincent Holmes. They had two children; a son, Hamilton Jr., who is also a University of Georgia alumni, and a daughter, Alison. He is a namesake of the Holmes-Hunter Academic Building on the University of Georgia campus and the university's Holmes-Hunter Lectures, and was a trustee of the University of Georgia Foundation. Holmes died in 1995 of heart failure in Atlanta, Georgia.
Legacy
For many years after graduating, Holmes stayed away from the University of Georgia, stating that his "time as a student there was very bad". In the early 1980s, Holmes agreed to help plan the university's bicentennial celebration and became the university's first African-American to be on the Board of Trustees. The Atlanta native has several landmarks named in his honor including the Hamilton E. Holmes Elementary School in East Point, Georgia; Hamilton E. Holmes Drive inFulton County, Georgia; and the H.E. Holmes MARTA station in Atlanta. The first endowed professorship at the University of Georgia named for an African-American was created in his name on 11 November 1999. The University of Georgia Academic Building is named for him as well, along with Charlayne Hunter-Gault, as it is called the Holmes/Hunter Academic Building, as of 2001. Also in 2012, Emory University has dedicated a new dorm in his honor, called Hamilton Holmes Hall.
