Patrick Ramsay
The Hon. Sir Patrick Ramsay KCMG (20 September 1879 – 19 June 1962) was a British diplomat who was minister to Greece, Hungary and Denmark.
Sir Patrick Ramsay KCMG | |
|---|---|
| British Minister to Denmark | |
| In office 1935–1939 | |
| Preceded by | Hugh Gurney |
| Succeeded by | Charles Howard Smith |
| British Minister to the Kingdom of Hungary | |
| In office 1933–1935 | |
| Preceded by | Viscount Chilston |
| Succeeded by | Owen O'Malley |
| British Minister to the Hellenic Republic | |
| In office 1929–1933 | |
| Preceded by | Sir Percy Loraine |
| Succeeded by | Sir Sydney Waterlow |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Patrick William Maule Ramsay 20 September 1879 |
| Died | 19 June 1962 (aged 82) Estoril, Portugal |
| Spouse(s) | Dorothy Surtees Tower
(m. after 1917) |
| Relations | Arthur Ramsay, 14th Earl of Dalhousie (brother) Sir Alexander Ramsay (brother) |
| Parents | John Ramsay, 13th Earl of Dalhousie Lady Ida Louisa Bennet |
| Education | Winchester College |
| Alma mater | University College, Oxford |
Early life
The Honourable Patrick William Maule Ramsay was born on 20 September 1879. He was the second son of John Ramsay, 13th Earl of Dalhousie and the former Lady Ida Louisa Bennet.[1] Among his siblings was older brother Arthur Ramsay, 14th Earl of Dalhousie (who married Lady Mary Heathcote-Drummond, a daughter of the 1st Earl of Ancaster), and younger brothers Sir Alexander Ramsay (who married Princess Patricia of Connaught, a granddaughter of Queen Victoria), Charles Ramsay, and Lt. Ronald Ramsay.[1]
His paternal grandparents were Admiral George Ramsay, 12th Earl of Dalhousie, and the former Sarah Frances Robertson.[1] His maternal grandparents were Charles Bennet, 6th Earl of Tankerville and Olivia Bennet, Countess of Tankerville (eldest daughter of George Montagu, 6th Duke of Manchester).[2]
He was educated at Winchester College and University College, Oxford.[3]
Career
He entered the Diplomatic Service as an attaché in 1904 and served in Constantinople, Peking, Paris and St Petersburg before being posted to Stockholm in 1919. While at Stockholm he was promoted to Counsellor of Embassy and acted as chargé d'affaires several times during the absence of the minister, Sir Colville Barclay.[3]
Ramsay was moved to a similar post at Rio de Janeiro in 1925 and to Madrid in 1927. He served as Minister in Athens from 1929 to 1933,[4] Minister and Consul General in Budapest from 1933 to 1935,[5][6] and Minister in Copenhagen from 1935 to 1939.[7] Upon his retirement in 1939, he was succeeded as Minister in Denmark by Charles Howard Smith, the Assistant Under-Secretary for Foreign Affairs.[8]
Personal life
On 15 October 1917, Ramsay was married to Dorothy Cynthia (née Surtees) Tower (1890–1957). Dorothy, the widow of Christopher Cecil Tower of Weald Hall, was a daughter of Brig. Gen. Sir Herbert Conyers Surtees of Mainsforth Hall.[1] They were the parents of:[9]
- David Patrick Maule Ramsay (1919–1978), who married Hélène Arvanitidi, a daughter of Leonidas Arvanitidi, in 1948.[9]
- James Surtees Maule Ramsay (1923–1944), a Lt. in the Scots Guards who died in the Netherlands at the Western Front during World War II.[9]
Lady Ramsay died on 5 October 1957.[1] Sir Patrick died on 19 June 1962 at Estoril, Portugal.[10]
Honours
Patrick Ramsay was appointed CMG in 1929 and knighted KCMG in the King's Birthday Honours of 1932.[11] He retired from the Diplomatic Service in 1939 and lived in Portugal until his death. During the Second World War and until a short time before his death he held an honorary post in the British Embassy in Lisbon.[3]
References
- "Dalhousie, Earl of (S, 1633)". www.cracroftspeerage.co.uk. Heraldic Media Limited. Retrieved 7 April 2020.
- "Tankerville, Earl of (GB, 1714)". www.cracroftspeerage.co.uk. Heraldic Media Limited. Retrieved 7 April 2020.
- RAMSAY, Hon. Sir Patrick William Maule, Who Was Who, A & C Black, 1920–2008; online edn, Oxford University Press, Dec 2007, accessed 29 May 2012.
- "No. 33580". The London Gazette. 18 February 1930. p. 1046.
- "No. 34019". The London Gazette. 30 January 1934. p. 676.
- Epstein, M. (2016). The Statesman's Year-Book: Statistical and Historical Annual of the States of the World for the Year 1934. Springer. p. 1017. ISBN 978-0-230-27063-3.
- "No. 34222". The London Gazette. 22 November 1935. p. 7413.
- "British Name Envoy to Denmark". The New York Times. 27 July 1939.
- Mosley, Charles, editor. Burke's Peerage, Baronetage & Knightage, 107th edition, 3 volumes. Wilmington, Delaware, U.S.A.: Burke's Peerage (Genealogical Books) Ltd, 2003.
- Obituary, The Times, London, 21 June 1962.
- "No. 33831". The London Gazette (Supplement). 31 May 1932. p. 3572.
| Diplomatic posts | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Sir Percy Loraine |
Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary to the Hellenic Republic 1929–1933 |
Succeeded by Sir Sydney Waterlow |
| Preceded by Viscount Chilston |
Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary at Budapest 1933–1935 |
Succeeded by Owen O'Malley |
| Preceded by Hugh Gurney |
Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary at Copenhagen 1935–1939 |
Succeeded by Charles Howard Smith |