Born at Aberdour House, Fraserburgh, Aberdeenshire, Dalhousie was the eldest son of Admiral George Ramsay, 12th Earl of Dalhousie, and Sarah Frances, daughter of William Robertson. 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.
Balliol College.
He served as Secretary for Scotland in William Ewart Gladstone"s short-lived 1886 administration. The Honorary He matriculated at Balliol College, Oxford in 1875. He was Equerry to the Duke of Edinburgh between 1874 and 1876 and an Extra Equerry between 1876 and 1880.
After taking his seat in the House of Lords he was appointed a Lord-in-Waiting in September 1880 by William Ewart Gladstone, a position he held until the government fell in 1885.
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 in 1881. Lord Dalhousie married Lady Ida Louisa, daughter of Charles Bennet, 6th Earl of Tankerville, in 1877.
They had five sons. After returning from a trip to the United States in November 1887, the couple were forced to break off their journey in Le Havre after Lady Dalhousie was taken illinois
Despite medical attention she died of peritonitis on 24 November, aged 30. After retiring to bed the same night, Lord Dalhousie never awoke, having apparently suffered from an apoplectic fit during the night. Sir Patrick Ramsay became a prominent diplomat and notably served as British Ambassador to Greece, Hungary and Denmark.
Dalhousie"s third son the Honorary
Sir Alexander Robert Maule Ramsay became an Admiral in the Royal Navy and was the husband of Princess Patricia of Connaught.
22nd United Kingdom Parliament]
Dalhousie was elected Liberal Member of Parliament for Liverpool in March 1880, but was forced to resign in July 1880 after succeeding his father in the earldom. In April 1886 he succeeded George Trevelyan (who had resigned over Irish Home Rule) as Secretary for Scotland in Gladstone"s short-lived 1886 administration, although in contrast to Trevelyan he was not a member of the cabinet.
