James Graham Ramsay

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James Graham Ramsay (born March 1, 1823 in Iredell County , North Carolina , † January 10, 1903 in Salisbury , North Carolina) was an American doctor, plantation owner and politician .

Career

James Graham Ramsay, son of Margaret Graham (1795-1840) and David Ramsay (1792-1857), was born about eight years after the end of the British-American War on his father's small plantation in Iredell County. His parents were both Scottish - Irish descent. The Ramsay family immigrated to Pennsylvania in 1695 . His grandfather, Robert Ramsey (1751-1828), then moved to Iredell County in 1766, where he settled in the Coddle Creek Ward. James Graham Ramsay attended local schools. Between 1838 and 1841 he then went to Davidson College. His student days were overshadowed by the economic crisis of 1837 and the following years by the Mexican-American War . After graduating, he taught for a year. He then studied medicine with his brother-in-law before going to Jefferson Medical College in Philadelphia , where he graduated in 1848. He then opened a practice near Cleveland ( Rowan County ). For this he used part of his mansion, Palermo, where he practiced for the next 51 years. In 1849 he helped found Rowan County's first medical society and became its first president. He ran a small plantation. In the 1860 census, his property was valued at $ 10,000 and he owned 5  slaves .

Ramsay also had a political career. He was an excellent speaker. In this context, he campaigned for the Whig Party and its candidates in every election . He served in the North Carolina Senate from 1856 to 1864 . In the presidential election of 1860 he was on the side of the Constitutional Union Party and supported John Bell (1797-1869) and Edward Everett (1794-1865). He was an ardent peace advocate until Abraham Lincoln (1809–1865) began to raise troops in April 1861 to crush the rebellion in the south . In 1863 Ramsay ran against incumbent William Lander (1817–1868) for a seat in the second Confederate Congress . He attacked Lander's strong support for the Jefferson Davis administration (1808–1889) and promised to work for an honorable peace once he was elected. Ramsay was assisted by William Woods Holden (1818-1892), editor of the North Carolina Standard , and subsequently caused Lander to suffer a severe defeat. At the Confederate Congress , Ramsay sat on the following committees: Medical Department Committee and Committee on Naval Affairs. For his part, he seldom introduced bills, but voted so consistently for his state and individual rights against the needs of the Confederate war effort that his loyalty was doubted. He also opposed higher taxes, the extension of compulsory military service or the restriction of exemptions from military service, the suspension of the habeas corpus , the confiscation of agricultural products for army use, and all other important administrative measures. He is consistently working to force President Jefferson Davis to negotiate peace terms with the United States . In April 1865 he advocated a state party convention to return North Carolina to the Union .

After the Civil War ended , he became an active Republican . In the presidential election of 1872 he acted as an elector. In 1882 he was re-elected to the North Carolina Senate, where he remained for a term. US President Rutherford B. Hayes (1822-1893) offered him a diplomatic post in South America , but Ramsay declined. Ramsay spent the last years of his life in Salisbury with his son. He was a Presbyterian . His body was therefore transferred to Cleveland after his death in 1903, where he was buried in the cemetery of Third Creek Presbyterian Church .

family

James Graham Ramsay married Sarah Jane Foster (1828–1895) of Davie County in 1846 . The couple had eight children together: Margaret Foster (* around 1845), David Allan (* around 1847), Florence May (1850–1861), James Hill (* around 1852), Edgar Burton (* around 1854), William Graham ( * around 1857), Robert L. (* around 1860) and Claudius Clinton (* around 1860).

Individual evidence

  1. ^ A b Graham, Robert L .: Grahams of Rowan & Iredell Counties, North Carolina , AuthorHouse, 2012, ISBN 9781468575644 , p. 93

Web links

personal data
SURNAME Ramsay, James Graham
BRIEF DESCRIPTION American doctor, plantation owner and politician
DATE OF BIRTH March 1, 1823
PLACE OF BIRTH Iredell County , North Carolina
DATE OF DEATH January 10, 1903
Place of death Salisbury , North Carolina