589 John Ramsay

Constituency :  Stirling  Burghs  1868, Falkirk  Burghs  1874-88

John  took  over  at  Stirling  when  Lawrence  Oliphant  was  induced  to  resign  through  the  influence  of  his  guru.

John  was  educated  at  Glasgow  University. He  built  up  a  successful  distillery  business  on  Islay  in   the  Inner  Hebrides. In  1864  he  was  a  member  of  the  Royal  Commission  on  Education  in  Scotland. He  was  one  of  the  pioneers  of  the  export  trade  of  Scotch  whiskey  to  America.

In  the  general  election  of  1868  John  was  decisively  defeated  by  Henry  Campbell-Bannerman. He visited  Canada  in  1870. In  1872  he  was  on  another  Royal  Commission  on  Endowed  Schools  in Scotland. He  came  back  in  1874  at  Falkirk  Burghs  and  held  the  seat  until  1886  when  he  stood down. His  last  speech  in  Parliament  was  defending  himself  against  charges  of  cruelty  and  neglect towards  his  tenants.

John  was  a  major  benefactor  to  Islay. He  enlarged  the  pier  at  Port  Ellen and  made  other infrastructue  improvements. He  initiated  a  cargo  and  passenger  service  between  there  and  Glasgow. He  built  schools  at  his  own  expense.


He  died  in  1892  aged  77.