Background
Born near Edinburgh, Scotland, Carmichael was the eldest son of Reverend Sir William Henry Gibson-Carmichael, 10th Baronet, and Eleanora Anne Anderson, daughter of David Anderson. He succeeded his father as 11th Baronet in 1891.
Born near Edinburgh, Scotland, Carmichael was the eldest son of Reverend Sir William Henry Gibson-Carmichael, 10th Baronet, and Eleanora Anne Anderson, daughter of David Anderson. He succeeded his father as 11th Baronet in 1891.
He was educated at the Rev Cowley Powle"s school in Wixenford and Street John"s College, Cambridge.
Carmichael was Private Secretary to George Trevelyan and Lord Dalhousie, when Secretaries for Scotland. He continued to represent this constituency until the 1900 general election. Carmichael was appointed Governor of Victoria in 1908 and served from 27 July 1908 to 19 May 1911.
As Governor, Carmichael permitted Victoria Premier Sir Thomas Bent who had lost a no-confidence vote on 3 December 1908 to dissolve the assembly and call for fresh elections.
Thomas Bent, however, lost the elections and John Murray succeeded him as premier. A Royal Commission investigation was started in 1909 to inquire into the financial misappropriations made by Bent.
In 1911 Carmichael was appointed Governor of Madras and served from 3 November 1911 to 30 March 1912. Carmichael was also Chairman of the Scottish Board of Lunacy from 1894 to 1897, a Trustee of the Board of Manufactures in Scotland from 1900, a Trustee of the National Portrait Gallery from 1904 to 1908 and of the National Gallery from 1906 to 1908 and again from 1923 to 1926.
Between 1920 and 1926 he served as Lord Lieutenant of Peeblesshire.
In 1891 he founded the Scottish Beekeepers Association. He was a freemason. He was initiated, passed and raised within eight days of 1895 in the Dramatic and Arts Lodge Number. 757. He became Worshipful Master of the Lodge in 1902 and served for two years.
He was also appointed Senior Grand Deacon of the Grand Lodge of Scotland.
Seven years later he became Grand Master of the Grand Lodge of Scotland. When he was appointed Governor of Victoria, he resigned from Grand Master only to become almost immediately Grand Master of the Grand Lodge of Victoria.
26th United Kingdom Parliament]
He unsuccessfully contested Peebles and Selkirk in 1892 but was successfully returned as Liberal Member of Parliament for Midlothian in 1895, succeeding William Ewart Gladstone.