A native of Canada East, Ramsay first travelled to the west with the Wolseley Expedition in a suppression effort to the Red River Rebellion in 1870.

During that time he participated in the Wolseley Expedition, travelling through Port Arthur and then embarking westward, in a journey of around three months, to Fort Garry (presently Winnipeg).

[1] Intrigued by the opportunity and potential it held, in 1883, Ramsay decided to move west, settling in the village of Calgary, in the North-West Territories, which was then the terminus of the Canadian Pacific Railway.

[1] At Calgary he would ranch and enter the agricultural product manufacturing business as an agent for an Ontario company, producing buggies, wagons, ploughs, and mowers.

During his rebellion duties, he was attacked in encounter with local First Nations peoples, forcing him to fire shots from his rifle in self-defence.

[6] A strong supporter of public ownership of utilities, he also served a stint as chairman of the council's Water and Light Committee, in which he oversaw the installation of the city's first electric lighting system, as well as the purchase of the water system by the municipality from a private company.

On December 7, 1903, municipal nominations day for the upcoming election, Ramsay was acclaimed as mayor of Calgary, with no opposing nominees for the office.

"[7] A 1912 biography in the publication History of the province of Alberta noted that Ramsay was a man of "broad mental grasp, cosmopolitan ideas and notable business sagacity", with a "thorough understanding of life, its principles and possibilities" that was "honoured and respected by all".

[1] His former residence was in the present-day Calgary neighbourhood of Ramsay, situated east of the Elbow River and south of the CPR tracks, which is named in his honour.