Milton Austin Hamilton (1885 – 1956) was the superintendent of the Home from 1940-1944. He oversaw the Home through most of WWII, which included dealing with the impacts of rationing as well as the creation of a new 40-50 acre Victory Garden on the Printers Home grounds. He voluntarily left the superintendency in 1944 when a new ITU President was elected, stating that because he had been appointed by the previous president who was no longer in office, he should step down to allow the new president to appoint someone new. This decision was in light of the issues surrounding his predecessor, James McCoy, who was removed from the post twice by the then-president Claude M. Baker, because Baker wanted to appoint his own choice to the Home superintendency when he came into office.

Hamilton was born and raised in Wyoming, and moved around quite a bit in the western US, living in Utah, Washington, Oregon, California, and, of course, Colorado. He was living in Washington State when he married Hazel M. Harkins, who became the Matron of the Home. Together, they had three children, though their first daughter died in infancy. By the time they came to the Union Printers Home, their older child, Betty, was married and living in California. Their 13 year old son, Robert, came with them to the Home.

After the Hamiltons left the Home, they stayed in Colorado for a brief time before moving in with Betty’s family in California, where they remained until Mr. Hamilton’s death in 1956 at the age of 70.