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General George Ramsay, 9th Earl of Dalhousie, (23 October 1770 – 21 March 1838), styled Lord Ramsay until 1787, and Baron Dalhousie from 1815, was a Scottish soldier and colonial administrator. He was
Governor of Nova Scotia The following is a list of the governors and lieutenant governors of Nova Scotia. Though the present day office of the lieutenant governor in Nova Scotia came into being only upon the province's entry into Canadian Confederation in 1867, the po ...
from 1816 to 1820,
Governor General of British North America A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political r ...
from 1820 to 1828 and later
Commander-in-Chief in India During the period of the Company rule in India and the British Raj, the Commander-in-Chief, India (often "Commander-in-Chief ''in'' or ''of'' India") was the supreme commander of the British Indian Army. The Commander-in-Chief and most of his ...
. In turn, his son, James Andrew Broun-Ramsay, 1st Marquess of Dalhousie, would later serve as
Governor-General of India The Governor-General of India (1773–1950, from 1858 to 1947 the Viceroy and Governor-General of India, commonly shortened to Viceroy of India) was the representative of the monarch of the United Kingdom The monarchy of the United Kin ...
.


Background and education

Dalhousie was born at
Dalhousie Castle Dalhousie Castle is a castle in Cockpen, Midlothian, Scotland. Dalhousie Castle is situated near the town of Bonnyrigg, 8 miles (13 km) south of Edinburgh. The castle was the seat of the Earls of Dalhousie, the chieftains of Clan Ramsay. ...
, Midlothian, the son of George Ramsay, 8th Earl of Dalhousie, and Elizabeth, daughter of Andrew Glen. He was educated at the Royal High School, Edinburgh, and the University of Edinburgh.


Military career

After his father's death in 1787, Dalhousie joined the
British Army The British Army is the principal land warfare force of the United Kingdom, a part of the British Armed Forces along with the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force. , the British Army comprises 79,380 regular full-time personnel, 4,090 Gur ...
in July 1788 by purchasing a cornetcy in the
3rd Dragoons Third or 3rd may refer to: Numbers * 3rd, the ordinal form of the cardinal number 3 * , a fraction of one third * 1⁄60 of a ''second'', or 1⁄3600 of a ''minute'' Places * 3rd Street (disambiguation) * Third Avenue (disambiguation) * High ...
, and was later appointed to the captaincy of an independent company he himself had raised. He joined the 2nd battalion of the
1st Foot The Royal Scots (The Royal Regiment), once known as the Royal Regiment of Foot, was the oldest and most senior infantry regiment of the line of the British Army, having been raised in 1633 during the reign of Charles I of Scotland. The regimen ...
in January 1791, and purchased the rank of major in the
2nd Foot The Queen's Royal Regiment (West Surrey) was a line infantry regiment of the English and later the British Army from 1661 to 1959. It was the senior English line infantry regiment of the British Army, behind only the Royal Scots in the British Arm ...
in June 1792. He travelled with the regiment to Martinique, as its commander, and succeeded to the lieutenant-colonelcy in August 1794. He was severely wounded in 1795 and returned to Britain. In 1798 he served in the Irish Rebellion, and in 1799 throughout the Flanders campaign. He received the
brevet Brevet may refer to: Military * Brevet (military), higher rank that rewards merit or gallantry, but without higher pay * Brevet d'état-major, a military distinction in France and Belgium awarded to officers passing military staff college * Aircre ...
rank of colonel in January 1800, and fought in the later stages of the Egyptian campaign under Ralph Abercromby, capturing
Rosetta Rosetta or Rashid (; ar, رشيد ' ; french: Rosette  ; cop, ϯⲣⲁϣⲓⲧ ''ti-Rashit'', Ancient Greek: Βολβιτίνη ''Bolbitinē'') is a port city of the Nile Delta, east of Alexandria, in Egypt's Beheira governorate. The R ...
without a fight and successfully investing the nearby Fort Julien in April 1801. In 1803 he served as a brigadier-general on the staff in Scotland, and was appointed Major-General in April 1805. During the later stages of the Peninsular War Dalhousie commanded the 7th Division under the Duke of Wellington. Wellington was sometimes critical of his performance, as during the retreat from
Burgos Burgos () is a city in Spain located in the autonomous community of Castile and León. It is the capital and most populated municipality of the province of Burgos. Burgos is situated in the north of the Iberian Peninsula, on the confluence of t ...
, because of his tardy arrival at Vitoria, and for his misinformation about French intentions shortly before the
Battle of Roncesvalles The Battle of Roncevaux Pass ( French and English spelling, ''Roncesvalles'' in Spanish, ''Orreaga'' in Basque) in 778 saw a large force of Basques ambush a part of Charlemagne's army in Roncevaux Pass, a high mountain pass in the Pyrenees on th ...
. With Henry Clinton (or Oswald) and William Stewart he displayed insubordination during the retreat from Burgos. Wellington ordered them down a certain road, but they decided it "was too long and too wet and chose another. This brought them to a bridge which was blocked so that they could not cross. Here, eventually, Wellington found them, waiting. What, Wellington was asked, did he say to them? 'Oh by God, it was too serious to say anything.' 'What a situation is mine!’ he complained to London later. 'It is impossible to prevent incapable men from being sent to the army.'". At Vitoria he was delayed because he "had found difficulty in marching through the broken country", though
Thomas Picton Lieutenant-General Sir Thomas Picton (24 August 175818 June 1815) was a British Army officer who fought in the Napoleonic Wars. According to the historian Alessandro Barbero, Picton was "respected for his courage and feared for his irascible t ...
arrived early enough and attacked in his stead when the 7th Division failed to appearParkinson ''The Peninsular War'' p.179 He was nevertheless voted the thanks of Parliament for his services at Vitoria where he commanded the Left Center Column, consisting of the 3rd and 7th Divisions. He was appointed lieutenant-general, and colonel of the 13th Foot in 1813. He led his division in the
Battle of the Pyrenees The Battle of the Pyrenees was a large-scale offensive (the author David Chandler recognises the 'battle' as an offensive) launched on 25 July 1813 by Marshal Nicolas Jean de Dieu Soult from the Pyrénées region on Emperor Napoleon’s or ...
where it was lightly engaged, then went home to England in October. After the previous commander was wounded at the Battle of Orthez in February 1814, Dalhousie briefly led the 7th Division again. He occupied the city of
Bordeaux Bordeaux ( , ; Gascon oc, Bordèu ; eu, Bordele; it, Bordò; es, Burdeos) is a port city on the river Garonne in the Gironde department, Southwestern France. It is the capital of the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region, as well as the prefecture ...
and thus missed the final Battle of Toulouse. William Kemley was said to have saved the life of Ramsay in battle, by holding a flag over his body. In doing so he suffered a wound from a musket ball that left him with a permanent hole in the palm of his hand. His grandson, Peter Gordon Kemley, used to tell how he could put his finger through the palm of his grandfather's hand. For his actions, William Kemley was given a house on the Dalhousie Estate at Brechin Castle, rent-free for life. His daughter, Caroline Kemley, was born under a gun carriage the evening before the
Battle of Quatre Bras The Battle of Quatre Bras was fought on 16 June 1815, as a preliminary engagement to the decisive Battle of Waterloo that occurred two days later. The battle took place near the strategic crossroads of Quatre Bras and was contested between ele ...
. Her mother was one of six wives per regiment permitted to accompany their husbands.


Later career

In 1815 he was created Baron Dalhousie, of Dalhousie Castle in Midlothian, in the Peerage of the United Kingdom, to allow him to sit in the House of Lords by right (until that point he had sat as a Scottish representative peer).


Lieutenant Governor of Nova Scotia

According to the
Dictionary of Canadian Biography The ''Dictionary of Canadian Biography'' (''DCB''; french: Dictionnaire biographique du Canada) is a dictionary of biographical entries for individuals who have contributed to the history of Canada. The ''DCB'', which was initiated in 1959, is ...
Ramsay sought a position in colonial administration to pay debts he incurred expanding his estate. He replaced Sir
John Coape Sherbrooke General Sir John Coape Sherbrooke, (29 April 1764 – 14 February 1830) was a British soldier and colonial administrator. After serving in the British army in Nova Scotia, the Netherlands, India, the Mediterranean (including Sicily), and Spa ...
as Lieutenant Governor of Nova Scotia in 1816. He is known to have employed an official draughtsman, John Elliott Woolford, known for many surviving drawings and paintings. Ramsay created
Dalhousie College Dalhousie University (commonly known as Dal) is a large public research university in Nova Scotia, Canada, with three campuses in Halifax, a fourth in Bible Hill, and a second medical school campus in Saint John, New Brunswick. Dalhousie offer ...
in Halifax, Nova Scotia, which grew into Dalhousie University.


Governor-General of Canada

He was appointed,
Governor General of British North America A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political r ...
in 1820 and held that position until 1828.


Commander in Chief of India

Dalhousie was appointed Commander-in-Chief of the Indian Army in 1828. Army headquarters alternated between
Calcutta Kolkata (, or , ; also known as Calcutta , the official name until 2001) is the capital of the Indian state of West Bengal, on the eastern bank of the Hooghly River west of the border with Bangladesh. It is the primary business, commerc ...
and
Simla Shimla (; ; also known as Simla, the official name until 1972) is the capital and the largest city of the northern Indian state of Himachal Pradesh. In 1864, Shimla was declared as the summer capital of British India. After independence, th ...
. India taxed his health, and he resigned in 1832.


Retirement

Dalhousie suffered a ''"fainting fit"'' in February 1833. His health continued to deteriorate, and he returned to his estate, in 1834, where his health continued to deteriorate until his death 4 years later. He went both blind and senile in his final years.


Family

Lord Dalhousie married Christian, daughter of Charles Broun, of Colstoun in East Lothian, Scotland, a lady of gentle extraction and distinguished gifts, in 1805. She was recognised as a "zealous botanist" by leading scientists of her day. Ramsay and Christian had three sons, the two elder of whom died early. He died at Dalhousie Castle in March 1838, aged 67, and was succeeded by his youngest son, James, who was later created Marquess of Dalhousie. Lady Dalhousie died in January 1839.


Legacy

While serving as Lieutenant-Governor of Nova Scotia he founded
Dalhousie University Dalhousie University (commonly known as Dal) is a large public research university in Nova Scotia, Canada, with three campuses in Halifax, a fourth in Bible Hill, and a second medical school campus in Saint John, New Brunswick. Dalhousie offe ...
in Halifax, Nova Scotia. The town of
Dalhousie, New Brunswick Dalhousie ( ) is a formerly incorporated town, located in Restigouche County, New Brunswick. New Brunswick's northernmost point of land is situated in Dalhousie, where the Restigouche River meets Chaleur Bay. On 1 January 2023, Dalhousie mer ...
was named after him when he visited there in 1826, although his diary entry for the day stated that he disapproved of changing the original French and Mi'kmaq location names. The villages of East and
West Dalhousie West Dalhousie is a community in the Canadian province of Nova Scotia, located in Annapolis County. It is named after George Ramsay, 9th Earl of Dalhousie General George Ramsay, 9th Earl of Dalhousie, (23 October 1770 – 21 March 1838), s ...
in Nova Scotia are named after him, as are Earltown and Port Dalhousie, which is part of
St. Catharines, Ontario St. Catharines is the largest city in Canada's Niagara Region and the sixth largest urban area in the province of Ontario. As of 2016, it has an area of , 136,803 residents, and a metropolitan population of 406,074. It lies in Southern Ontario ...
, a community in Calgary Alberta, Dalhousie Station and an adjacent square, ''Dalhousie Square'' in Montreal.


See also

* List of universities named after people


References


External links

* * Glover, Michael. ''The Peninsular War 1807-1814.'' Penguin, 1974. * Oman, Charles. ''Wellington's Army, 1809-1814.'' Greenhill, (1913) 1993. * ''The Royal Military Calendar, Or Army Service and Commission Book'', ed. John Philippart. p. 248-249, Vol I of V, 3rd edition, London, 1820. * Archives of George Ramsay, 9th Earl of Dalhousi
(George Ramsay, 9th Earl of Dalhousie fonds, R4950)
are held at Library and Archives Canada {{DEFAULTSORT:Dalhousie, George Ramsay, 9th Earl Of British Army generals British Army commanders of the Napoleonic Wars British Commanders-in-Chief of India Cameronians officers People of the Irish Rebellion of 1798 British Governors of Nova Scotia Governors of British North America Scottish educators Scottish Presbyterians Scottish representative peers Dalhousie University Earls of Dalhousie Knights Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath People from Midlothian People educated at the Royal High School, Edinburgh Alumni of the University of Edinburgh 1770 births 1838 deaths Royal Scots officers Queen's Own Royal West Kent Regiment officers 3rd The King's Own Hussars officers British Army personnel of the French Revolutionary Wars
George George may refer to: People * George (given name) * George (surname) * George (singer), American-Canadian singer George Nozuka, known by the mononym George * George Washington, First President of the United States * George W. Bush, 43rd Presiden ...
University and college founders