General the Hon. Sir Henry Ramsay (1816 – 16 December 1893) was a British general in the Indian Army, who served as Commissioner of the Kumaon division. He is regarded as one of the great soldier-administrators of British India and was dubbed "The King of Kumaon".
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Family
Ramsay was the son of Lieutenant-General the Hon. John Ramsay, fourth son of George Ramsay, 8th Earl of Dalhousie, and Mary Delise. His elder brother George was an admiral in the Royal Navy. Upon the death of his cousin, Fox Maule-Ramsay, 11th Earl of Dalhousie without issue in 1874, Queen Victoria issued a special allowance to allow Henry and his siblings the style and precedence as if their father had still been alive to inherit the earldom. Thus he was styled as The Honourable Henry Ramsey from 1874.
Career
In 1840, Ramsay was appointed Assistant Commissioner of Kumaon, when a colonel in the Bengal Army. Ramsay was amongst the most able of the British officials posted to the Kumaon district and came to enjoy the respect and support of the people. His modest and genial approach ensured the region remained loyal to the British. In 1856 Ramsay became Commissioner and worked another 28 years in the Garhwal and Kumaon.