Thomas Ramsay
Encyclopedia
Thomas Bridgehill Wilson Ramsay (2 July 1877 – 20 October 1956) was a Scottish
Liberal Party
, and National Liberal Party
politician and Member of Parliament (MP).
. He was educated at Edinburgh University where he read law, obtaining MA
and LL.B
degrees. He does not seem to have ever married.
.
Association of London; a trustee and Elder and Session Clerk of St Columba’s Church
, in Pont Street, Knightsbridge
and was Treasurer and Convener of the Maintenance of the Ministry Fund of the Church of Scotland
in England. He was also a life member of many Scottish Societies.
came at the 1922 general election
when he stood as a Lloyd George
National Liberal
candidate in the Glasgow Shettleston constituency
.
Ramsay did not stand for election at the general elections of 1923
or 1924
but was adopted as candidate for the Liberal seat of Western Isles at the 1929 general election
when the sitting MP Alexander Livingstone
announced he was standing down. At the election Ramsay faced a three-cornered contest against Labour’s
John Macdiarmid, a retired railway auditor and Unionist
candidate Captain Ian Moffat-Pender, a former Scottish Rugby
international. Ramsay held the seat for the Liberals with a majority of 1,288 votes over Labour, with the Tories in third place.
Ramsay seems to have been an assiduous member of the House of Commons. It was reported in The Times
newspaper that he put in the most attendances at divisions for the Liberal Party in 1930 with 441 attendances out of a possible 484.
and initially supported by the Conservative and Liberal parties. However the Liberals were increasingly divided over the issue of the National Government, particularly over the issue Free Trade. The official party led by Sir Herbert Samuel
became more and more worried about the government’s stance on Free Trade and worried about the predominance of the Conservatives in the coalition. However a group of Liberal MPs led by Sir John Simon who were concerned to ensure the National Government had a wide cross-party base formed the Liberal National Party
to more openly support MacDonald’s administration. Ramsay became one of the founder members of this group and thereafter sat in the House of Commons as a Liberal National.
He held his seat at the 1931 general election
in a straight fight with Moffat-Pender for the Conservatives.
At the 1935 general election
, Ramsay was not opposed by an official Liberal candidate or his Unionist coalition partners, but he was faced by Labour's Malcolm Macmillan
and an Independent candidate representing the Scottish National Party
, Sir Alexander MacEwen. Macmillan won the seat with a majority of 1,345 votes and at 22 years of age became the youngest member of the House of Commons.
Ramsay was one of the possible National candidates for the by-election
which occurred in Ross and Cromarty
when Sir Ian Macpherson announced he was to stand down on medical advice. In the event the constituency chose Malcolm MacDonald
the son of the Prime Minister to contest the by-election
. Ramsay did not stand for election again.
in Pont Street
on 13 November 1956 at which his sister was the chief mourner and which was officiated by the Moderator of the Church of Scotland
the Right Reverend Dr R F V Scott.
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
Liberal Party
Liberal Party (UK)
The Liberal Party was one of the two major political parties of the United Kingdom during the 19th and early 20th centuries. It was a third party of negligible importance throughout the latter half of the 20th Century, before merging with the Social Democratic Party in 1988 to form the present day...
, and National Liberal Party
National Liberal Party (UK, 1931)
The National Liberal Party, known until 1948 as the Liberal National Party, was a liberal political party in the United Kingdom from 1931 to 1968...
politician and Member of Parliament (MP).
Family and education
Ramsay was the son of A W Ramsay of AyrAyr
Ayr is a town and port situated on the Firth of Clyde in south-west Scotland. With a population of around 46,000, Ayr is the largest settlement in Ayrshire, of which it is the county town, and has held royal burgh status since 1205...
. He was educated at Edinburgh University where he read law, obtaining MA
Master of Arts (Scotland)
A Master of Arts in Scotland can refer to an undergraduate academic degree in humanities and social sciences awarded by the ancient universities of Scotland – the University of St Andrews, the University of Glasgow, the University of Aberdeen and the University of Edinburgh, while the University of...
and LL.B
Bachelor of Laws
The Bachelor of Laws is an undergraduate, or bachelor, degree in law originating in England and offered in most common law countries as the primary law degree...
degrees. He does not seem to have ever married.
Career
Ramsay practiced law in London and was called to the Bar by Gray’s Inn in 1910, where he was sometime president of the Debating Society and as his practice developed he came to specialise in appeals to the Judicial Committee of the Privy CouncilJudicial Committee of the Privy Council
The Judicial Committee of the Privy Council is one of the highest courts in the United Kingdom. Established by the Judicial Committee Act 1833 to hear appeals formerly heard by the King in Council The Judicial Committee of the Privy Council (JCPC) is one of the highest courts in the United...
.
Scottish heritage
According to reports Ramsay was always a keen proponent of his native country, its institutions and traditions. He was sometime President and Chief of the Scottish ClansScottish clan
Scottish clans , give a sense of identity and shared descent to people in Scotland and to their relations throughout the world, with a formal structure of Clan Chiefs recognised by the court of the Lord Lyon, King of Arms which acts as an authority concerning matters of heraldry and Coat of Arms...
Association of London; a trustee and Elder and Session Clerk of St Columba’s Church
St Columba's Church, London
St Columba's Church is one of the two London congregations of the Church of Scotland. The church building is located in Pont Street, Knightsbridge, near Harrod's department store....
, in Pont Street, Knightsbridge
Knightsbridge
Knightsbridge is a road which gives its name to an exclusive district lying to the west of central London. The road runs along the south side of Hyde Park, west from Hyde Park Corner, spanning the City of Westminster and the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea...
and was Treasurer and Convener of the Maintenance of the Ministry Fund of the Church of Scotland
Church of Scotland
The Church of Scotland, known informally by its Scots language name, the Kirk, is a Presbyterian church, decisively shaped by the Scottish Reformation....
in England. He was also a life member of many Scottish Societies.
Politics
Ramsay’s first attempt to enter ParliamentParliament
A parliament is a legislature, especially in those countries whose system of government is based on the Westminster system modeled after that of the United Kingdom. The name is derived from the French , the action of parler : a parlement is a discussion. The term came to mean a meeting at which...
came at the 1922 general election
United Kingdom general election, 1922
The United Kingdom general election of 1922 was held on 15 November 1922. It was the first election held after most of the Irish counties left the United Kingdom to form the Irish Free State, and was won by Andrew Bonar Law's Conservatives, who gained an overall majority over Labour, led by John...
when he stood as a Lloyd George
David Lloyd George
David Lloyd George, 1st Earl Lloyd-George of Dwyfor OM, PC was a British Liberal politician and statesman...
National Liberal
National Liberal Party (UK, 1922)
The National Liberal Party was a liberal political party in the United Kingdom from 1922 to 1923. It was led by David Lloyd George and was, at the time, separate to the original Liberal Party.-History:...
candidate in the Glasgow Shettleston constituency
Glasgow Shettleston (UK Parliament constituency)
Glasgow Shettleston was a burgh constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1918 until 2005. The Shettleston area is represented is now covered by Glasgow Central and Glasgow East.-Boundaries:...
.
Ramsay did not stand for election at the general elections of 1923
United Kingdom general election, 1923
-Seats summary:-References:*F. W. S. Craig, British Electoral Facts: 1832-1987*-External links:***...
or 1924
United Kingdom general election, 1924
- Seats summary :- References :* F. W. S. Craig, British Electoral Facts: 1832-1987* - External links :* * *...
but was adopted as candidate for the Liberal seat of Western Isles at the 1929 general election
United Kingdom general election, 1929
-Seats summary:-References:*F. W. S. Craig, British Electoral Facts: 1832-1987*-External links:***...
when the sitting MP Alexander Livingstone
Alexander Livingstone (Scottish politician)
Alexander Mackenzie Livingstone was a Scottish Liberal Party politician.At the 1918 general election, he was an unsuccessful candidate in the Dover constituency...
announced he was standing down. At the election Ramsay faced a three-cornered contest against Labour’s
Labour Party (UK)
The Labour Party is a centre-left democratic socialist party in the United Kingdom. It surpassed the Liberal Party in general elections during the early 1920s, forming minority governments under Ramsay MacDonald in 1924 and 1929-1931. The party was in a wartime coalition from 1940 to 1945, after...
John Macdiarmid, a retired railway auditor and Unionist
Conservative Party (UK)
The Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House...
candidate Captain Ian Moffat-Pender, a former Scottish Rugby
Rugby union
Rugby union, often simply referred to as rugby, is a full contact team sport which originated in England in the early 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand...
international. Ramsay held the seat for the Liberals with a majority of 1,288 votes over Labour, with the Tories in third place.
Ramsay seems to have been an assiduous member of the House of Commons. It was reported in The Times
The Times
The Times is a British daily national newspaper, first published in London in 1785 under the title The Daily Universal Register . The Times and its sister paper The Sunday Times are published by Times Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary since 1981 of News International...
newspaper that he put in the most attendances at divisions for the Liberal Party in 1930 with 441 attendances out of a possible 484.
National Liberal
In 1931 an economic crisis led to the formation of a National Government led by Labour prime minister Ramsay MacDonaldRamsay MacDonald
James Ramsay MacDonald, PC, FRS was a British politician who was the first ever Labour Prime Minister, leading a minority government for two terms....
and initially supported by the Conservative and Liberal parties. However the Liberals were increasingly divided over the issue of the National Government, particularly over the issue Free Trade. The official party led by Sir Herbert Samuel
Herbert Samuel, 1st Viscount Samuel
Herbert Louis Samuel, 1st Viscount Samuel GCB OM GBE PC was a British politician and diplomat.-Early years:...
became more and more worried about the government’s stance on Free Trade and worried about the predominance of the Conservatives in the coalition. However a group of Liberal MPs led by Sir John Simon who were concerned to ensure the National Government had a wide cross-party base formed the Liberal National Party
National Liberal Party (UK, 1931)
The National Liberal Party, known until 1948 as the Liberal National Party, was a liberal political party in the United Kingdom from 1931 to 1968...
to more openly support MacDonald’s administration. Ramsay became one of the founder members of this group and thereafter sat in the House of Commons as a Liberal National.
He held his seat at the 1931 general election
United Kingdom general election, 1931
The United Kingdom general election on Tuesday 27 October 1931 was the last in the United Kingdom not held on a Thursday. It was also the last election, and the only one under universal suffrage, where one party received an absolute majority of the votes cast.The 1931 general election was the...
in a straight fight with Moffat-Pender for the Conservatives.
At the 1935 general election
United Kingdom general election, 1935
The United Kingdom general election held on 14 November 1935 resulted in a large, though reduced, majority for the National Government now led by Conservative Stanley Baldwin. The greatest number of MPs, as before, were Conservative, while the National Liberal vote held steady...
, Ramsay was not opposed by an official Liberal candidate or his Unionist coalition partners, but he was faced by Labour's Malcolm Macmillan
Malcolm Macmillan
Malcolm Kenneth Macmillan was a Scottish Labour Party politician and journalist.At the 1935 general election, he was elected as Member of Parliament for the Western Isles...
and an Independent candidate representing the Scottish National Party
Scottish National Party
The Scottish National Party is a social-democratic political party in Scotland which campaigns for Scottish independence from the United Kingdom....
, Sir Alexander MacEwen. Macmillan won the seat with a majority of 1,345 votes and at 22 years of age became the youngest member of the House of Commons.
Ramsay was one of the possible National candidates for the by-election
By-election
A by-election is an election held to fill a political office that has become vacant between regularly scheduled elections....
which occurred in Ross and Cromarty
Ross and Cromarty (UK Parliament constituency)
Ross and Cromarty was a county constituency of the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1832 to 1983. The constituency elected one Member of Parliament using the first-past-the-post voting system....
when Sir Ian Macpherson announced he was to stand down on medical advice. In the event the constituency chose Malcolm MacDonald
Malcolm MacDonald
Malcolm John MacDonald OM, PC was a British politician and diplomat.-Background:MacDonald was the son of Prime Minister Ramsay MacDonald and Margaret MacDonald. Like his father he was born in Lossiemouth, Moray...
the son of the Prime Minister to contest the by-election
Ross and Cromarty by-election, 1936
The Ross and Cromarty by-election, 1936 was a parliamentary by-election for the British House of Commons constituency of Ross and Cromarty held on 10 February 1936. The by-election was triggered when Sir Ian Macpherson, a Liberal National was given a peerage...
. Ramsay did not stand for election again.
Death
Ramsay died in London on 20 October 1956, aged 79 years. A memorial service was held for him at St. Columba’s ChurchSt Columba's Church, London
St Columba's Church is one of the two London congregations of the Church of Scotland. The church building is located in Pont Street, Knightsbridge, near Harrod's department store....
in Pont Street
Pont Street
Pont Street is a fashionable street in Knightsbridge and Belgravia, central London, England, not far from the Knightsbridge department store Harrods to the north-west. The street crosses Sloane Street in the middle, with Beauchamp Place to the west and Cadogan Place, and Chesham Place, to the east,...
on 13 November 1956 at which his sister was the chief mourner and which was officiated by the Moderator of the Church of Scotland
Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland
The Moderator of the General Assembly of Church of Scotland is a Minister, Elder or Deacon of the Church of Scotland chosen to "moderate" the annual General Assembly of the Church of Scotland, which is held for a week in Edinburgh every May....
the Right Reverend Dr R F V Scott.