Gordon was born in 1836, the son of Lieut.-Col. Lord Francis Arthur Gordon (1808–1857), youngest son of the 9th Marquess of Huntly, by his wife Isabel Grant (d. 1892), daughter of General Sir William Keir Grant.
From 22 August 1855 until 12 November 1855, he was Aide-de-camp to General James Simpson, commander of British troops in the Crimea.
[1] Following his retirement from active service in February 1863, he was appointed a lieutenant-colonel of the 2nd Battalion of the Royal Scottish Reserve Regiment.
He was later appointed lieutenant-colonel in command of the 3rd (Edinburgh Light Infantry Militia) Battalion, Royal Scots, based at Glencorse Barracks, Midlothian, and on 7 March 1900 was appointed to the honorary colonelcy of the battalion.
Gordon was Equerry and Controller of the Household to the Prince and Princess Christian of Schleswig-Holstein.