Simon Ramsay, 16th Earl of Dalhousie, KT, GCVO, GBE, MC, DL (17 October 1914 – 15 July 1999), styled The Honourable Simon Ramsay between 1928 and 1950, was a British land owner, Conservative politician and colonial governor.
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Ramsay was the second son of Arthur Ramsay, 14th Earl of Dalhousie and Lady Mary Heathcote-Drummond-Willoughby, sixth daughter of Gilbert Heathcote-Drummond-Willoughby, 1st Earl of Ancaster. He was educated at Eton and Christ Church, Oxford. He served in the Black Watch during the Second World War, gaining the rank of Major, and was awarded the Military Cross.
In 1945, Ramsay was elected as the Unionist Member of Parliament for Forfarshire and served until 1950 when he succeeded as Earl of Dalhousie and Chief of Clan Ramsay on the death of his brother. He was appointed Governor-General of the Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland in 1957, and served until 1963 when the federation broke up, with Northern Rhodesia and Nyasaland becoming independent Zambia and Malawi respectively while Southern Rhodesia returned to its status as a self-governing colony.
In 1953, Dalhousie was awarded an honorary degree by Dalhousie University in Nova Scotia, which had been founded in 1818 by the 9th Earl. He served as Lord Chamberlain to Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother from 1965, Lord-Lieutenant of Angus (1967-1989) and Chancellor of the University of Dundee (1977-1992), with the institution naming a significant building after him in September 2008.[1] He was a Lieutenant of the Royal Company of Archers, the monarch's bodyguard in Scotland and was created a Knight of the Order of the Thistle by Queen Elizabeth II in 1971.
Lord Dalhousie married Margaret Stirling of Keir, daughter of Brigadier-General Archibald Stirling of Keir, a Member of Parliament, and a granddaughter maternally of the 13th Lord Lovat, in June 1940. They had three sons and two daughters.
| Parliament of the United Kingdom | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by William Thomas Shaw |
Member of Parliament for Forfar 1945–1950 |
Constituency abolished |
| Court offices | ||
| Preceded by The 12th Earl of Airlie |
Lord Chamberlain to The Queen Mother 1965 – 1992 |
Succeeded by The Earl of Crawford |
| Honorary titles | ||
| Preceded by The 12th Earl of Airlie |
Lord Lieutenant of Angus 1967 – 1989 |
Succeeded by The 13th Earl of Airlie |
| Academic offices | ||
| Preceded by Queen Elizabeth, The Queen Mother |
Chancellor of the University of Dundee 1977 – 1992 |
Succeeded by James W. Black |
| Peerage of Scotland | ||
| Preceded by John Gilbert Ramsay |
Earl of Dalhousie 1950–1999 |
Succeeded by James Ramsay |