John William Maule Ramsay, 13th Earl of Dalhousie (29 January 1847 – 25 November 1887), styled Lord Ramsay between 1874 and 1880, was a Scottish naval commander, courtier and

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 ...

politician. He served as Secretary for Scotland in

William Ewart Gladstone William Ewart Gladstone ( ; 29 December 1809 – 19 May 1898) was a British statesman and Liberal politician. In a career lasting over 60 years, he served for 12 years as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, spread over four non-conse ...

's short-lived 1886 administration.

Early life

Dalhousie was born at Aberdour House at

Fraserburgh Fraserburgh (; sco, The Broch or ; gd, A' Bhruaich) is a town in Aberdeenshire, Scotland with a population recorded in the 2011 Census at 13,100. It lies at the far northeast corner of Aberdeenshire, about north of Aberdeen, and north of ...

, Aberdeenshire on 29 January 1847. He was the eldest son of Admiral

George Ramsay, 12th Earl of Dalhousie Admiral George Ramsay, 12th Earl of Dalhousie (26 April 1806 – 20 July 1880), known as George Ramsay until 1874, was a British naval officer. Career Ramsay was the son of Lieutenant-General the Honourable John Ramsay (1775–1842), fourth s ...

, and Sarah Frances, daughter of William Robertson of Logan House. The Hon. Charles Maule Ramsay, MP for Forfarshire, was his younger brother. He gained the courtesy title of Lord Ramsay in 1874 when his father succeeded in the earldom of Dalhousie on the death of his first cousin, Fox Maule-Ramsay, 11th Earl of Dalhousie.John William Ramsay, 13th Earl of Dalhousie profile
thepeerage.com; accessed 3 April 2016. His paternal grandfather was The Hon. John Ramsay (the fourth son of George Ramsay, 8th Earl of Dalhousie). After attending Charterhouse School, he matriculated at Balliol College, Oxford in 1875.

Career

Dalhousie followed his father into the

Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by English and Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were fought in the Hundred Years' War against ...

, where he served from 1861 to 1879, achieving the rank of Commander. He was Equerry to the Duke of Edinburgh between 1874 and 1876 and an Extra Equerry between 1876 and 1880.

Political career

Dalhousie was elected

Member of Parliament A member of parliament (MP) is the representative in parliament of the people who live in their electoral district. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, this term refers only to members of the lower house since upper house members o ...

for

Liverpool Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. With a population of in 2019, it is the 10th largest English district by population and its metropolitan area is the fifth largest in the United Kingdom, with a populat ...

in March 1880, but was forced to resign in July 1880 after succeeding his father in the earldom. After taking his seat in the

House of Lords The House of Lords, also known as the House of Peers, is the upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Membership is by appointment, heredity or official function. Like the House of Commons, it meets in the Palace of Westminste ...

he was appointed a Lord-in-waiting in September 1880 by

, a position he held until the government fell in 1885. In April 1886 he succeeded George Trevelyan (who had resigned over

Irish Home Rule The Irish Home Rule movement was a movement that campaigned for self-government (or "home rule") for Ireland within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland. It was the dominant political movement of Irish nationalism from 1870 to the e ...

) as Secretary for Scotland in Gladstone's short-lived 1886 administration, although in contrast to Trevelyan he was not a member of the cabinet. He was sworn of the Privy Council at the same time. He retained this post until the government fell in July 1886. He was made a

Knight of the Thistle A knight is a person granted an honorary title of knighthood by a head of state (including the Pope) or representative for service to the monarch, the church or the country, especially in a military capacity. Knighthood finds origins in the Gr ...

in 1881., leighrayment.com; accessed 3 April 2016.

Personal life

On 6 December 1877, Lord Dalhousie was married to Lady Ida Louisa Bennet. She was a daughter of

Charles Bennet, 6th Earl of Tankerville Charles Augustus Bennet, 6th Earl of Tankerville PC (10 January 1810 – 18 December 1899), styled Lord Ossulston between 1822 and 1859, was a British peer and Conservative politician. He served as Captain of the Honourable Corps of Gentlemen ...

and

Olivia Bennet, Countess of Tankerville Olivia Bennet, Countess of Tankerville (18 July 1830 – 15 February 1922), formerly Lady Olivia Montagu, was the wife of Charles Bennet, 6th Earl of Tankerville. Olivia was the eldest daughter of George Montagu, 6th Duke of Manchester, and h ...

(eldest daughter of

George Montagu, 6th Duke of Manchester George Montagu, 6th Duke of Manchester DL (9 July 1799 – 18 August 1855), known as Viscount Mandeville from 1799 to 1843, was a British peer and Tory Member of Parliament. Early life George Montagu was born at Kimbolton Castle, Huntingdons ...

). Together, Lord and Lady Dalhousie had five sons: *

Arthur George Maule Ramsay, 14th Earl of Dalhousie Arthur George Maule Ramsay, 14th Earl of Dalhousie JP (4 September 1878 – 23 December 1928), styled Lord Ramsay between 1880 and 1887, was a Scottish peer and soldier. Early life Ramsay was born at Atkinson's Hotel, Torquay, Devon, the eldest ...

(1878–1928), who married Lady Mary Heathcote-Drummond, a daughter of

Gilbert Heathcote-Drummond-Willoughby, 1st Earl of Ancaster Gilbert Henry Heathcote-Drummond-Willoughby, 1st Earl of Ancaster, (1 October 1830 – 24 December 1910), known as 2nd Baron Aveland from 1867 to 1888 and as 25th Baron Willoughby de Eresby from 1888 to 1892, was a British Liberal politician ...

, on 14 July 1903. * The Hon. Sir Patrick Ramsay (1879–1962), who married Dorothy Surtees on 15 October 1917. * Adm. The Hon. Sir Alexander Robert Maule Ramsay (1881–1972), who married Princess Patricia of Connaught, a granddaughter of Queen Victoria, on 27 February 1919. * The Hon. Charles Fox Maule Ramsay (1885–1926), who married Aline Rose Arbuthnot-Leslie, eldest of George Arbuthnot-Leslie of Warthill, in 1919. After his death, she married Maj. Hon. Arthur Michael Cosmo Bertie (a son of

Montagu Bertie, 7th Earl of Abingdon Montagu Arthur Bertie, 7th Earl of Abingdon (13 May 1836 – 10 March 1928) was an English peer. Early life Montagu Arthur Bertie was born on 13 May 1836 at Hanover Square, Mayfair. He was the eldest of nine children born to Montagu Bertie, 6 ...

). * Lt. Hon. Ronald Edward Maule Ramsay (1885–1909), who died unmarried. After returning from a trip to the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

in November 1887, the couple were forced to break off their journey in

Le Havre Le Havre (, ; nrf, Lé Hâvre ) is a port city in the Seine-Maritime department in the Normandy region of northern France. It is situated on the right bank of the estuary of the river Seine on the Channel southwest of the Pays de Caux, very ...

after Lady Dalhousie was taken ill. Despite medical attention she died of

peritonitis Peritonitis is inflammation of the localized or generalized peritoneum, the lining of the inner wall of the abdomen and cover of the abdominal organs. Symptoms may include severe pain, swelling of the abdomen, fever, or weight loss. One part o ...

on 24 November, aged 30. After retiring to bed the same night, Lord Dalhousie never awoke, having apparently suffered from an

apoplectic fit Apoplexy () is rupture of an internal organ and the accompanying symptoms. The term formerly referred to what is now called a stroke. Nowadays, health care professionals do not use the term, but instead specify the anatomic location of the bleed ...

during the night, thus surviving his wife by less than 24 hours, dying at age 40.

References

Sources

* Torrance, David, ''The Scottish Secretaries'' (Birlinn 2006)

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Dalhousie, John Ramsay, 13th Earl of 1847 births 1887 deaths Earls of Dalhousie Secretaries for Scotland Knights of the Thistle Liberal Party (UK) MPs for English constituencies Liberal Party (UK) Lords-in-Waiting UK MPs 1880–1885 Dalhousie, E13

John John is a common English name and surname: * John (given name) * John (surname) John may also refer to: New Testament Works * Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John * First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John * Secon ...

Members of the Privy Council of the United Kingdom Members of the Parliament of the United Kingdom for Liverpool