James Ramsay (December 16, 1866 – November 22, 1935) was a Scottish-born merchant and political figure in

British Columbia British Columbia (commonly abbreviated as BC) is the westernmost province of Canada, situated between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains. It has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that include rocky coastlines, sandy beaches, ...

. He represented Vancouver City in the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia from 1920 to 1924 as a

Liberal Liberal or liberalism may refer to: Politics * a supporter of liberalism ** Liberalism by country * an adherent of a Liberal Party * Liberalism (international relations) * Sexually liberal feminism * Social liberalism Arts, entertainment and m ...

. He was born in Aberdeenshire and later operated a stationery store in Scotland. In 1891, he opened a factory in

Victoria, British Columbia Victoria is the capital city of the Canadian province of British Columbia, on the southern tip of Vancouver Island off Canada's Pacific coast. The city has a population of 91,867, and the Greater Victoria area has a population of 397,237. The ...

. Ramsay moved to

Victoria Victoria most commonly refers to: * Victoria (Australia), a state of the Commonwealth of Australia * Victoria, British Columbia, provincial capital of British Columbia, Canada * Victoria (mythology), Roman goddess of Victory * Victoria, Seychelle ...

six months later, establishing a company that manufactured biscuits, candies and syrup. Ramsay was a Vancouver alderman for 7 years and chair of the Vancouver School Board for 10 years. He was also president of the local

YMCA YMCA, sometimes regionally called the Y, is a worldwide youth organization based in Geneva, Switzerland, with more than 64 million beneficiaries in 120 countries. It was founded on 6 June 1844 by George Williams (philanthropist), Georg ...

, president of the Canadian and British Columbia Manufacturer's Association and served on the board for the

Vancouver General Hospital Vancouver General Hospital (locally known as VGH, or Vancouver General) is a medical facility located in Vancouver, British Columbia. It is the largest facility in the Vancouver Hospital and Health Sciences Centre (VHHSC) group of medical facilit ...

and on the

Vancouver Board of Trade The Greater Vancouver Board of Trade (GVBOT) is a non-profit organization. It serves Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, in a fashion similar to the Board of Trade or Chamber of Commerce. The Board is the largest business association between ...

. Ramsay died in Vancouver at the age of 68. His company's warehouse in Vancouver has been designated as a heritage building by the city of Vancouver.

References

1866 births 1935 deaths BC United MLAs British emigrants to Canada {{BritishColumbia-MLA-stub