John Ramsay (1814 – 24 Jun 1892)[1] was a Scottish merchant and Liberal Party politician.
Ramsay was the son of Robert Ramsay of Stirling and his wife Elizabeth Stirling. He was educated at Glasgow University and became a merchant in Glasgow. He was a Deputy Lieutenant and a J.P. for Argyllshire and a J.P. for Lanarkshire and showed a major interest in education. In 1864 he was a member of the Royal Commission on Education in Scotland, being also an unpaid member of Board of Education for Scotland. He was a Fellow or member of several learned societies.[2]
In April 1868, Ramsay was elected at a by-election as the Member of Parliament (MP) for Stirling Burghs when his predecessor gave up the seat under the influence of a spiritualist prophet. He only sat until the general election in November that year,[1] when he lost the seat to the future prime minister Henry Campbell-Bannerman.[3] Ramsay was a member of the Royal Commission on Endowed Schools in Scotland in 1872. In the 1874 general election, he was elected as the MP for Falkirk Burghs, but discovering he had been in breach of regulations as he held a government contract at the time, stood down in March[4] and was re-elected at a by-election that month. He held the seat until 1886,[5] and in the meantime was a member of Endowed Institutions Commission under an Act of 1878, and of Educational Endowments Commission under an Act of 1882.[2]
Ramsay lived at Kildalton, Argyllshire. He died at the age of 77.
Ramsay married firstly Eliza, Shields of Lanchester, Durham in 1857. She died in 1864, and he married again in 1871 to Lucy Martin of Auchendennan, Dumbarton.
| Parliament of the United Kingdom | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Laurence Oliphant |
Member of Parliament for Stirling Burghs 1868 – 1868 |
Succeeded by Henry Campbell-Bannerman |
| Preceded by James Merry |
Member of Parliament for Falkirk Burghs 1874 – 1886 |
Succeeded by William Pirrie Sinclair |