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Watchful of the
opportunities pointing toward success in his chosen line of activity,
James Ramsey has made for himself a place among Edmonton's foremost
merchants, and his present prosperity is due to the fact that his
business was founded on the solid foundation of honor, integrity and
fair dealing, so that his name has become a synonym for enterprise and
reliability in business circles of this district. He is a native of the
United States and was born at Imlay City, Michigan, on the 4th of April,
1864. He is of Scotch descent in both the paternal and maternal lines
and when he was four years of age his parents moved across the border
into Canada, settling in Oxford county, Ontario, where he attended the
public schools. When but thirteen years of age he became a wage earner,
securing work in a general store at Plattsville, Ontario, where he was
employed from 1877 until 1884, thus gaining his initial experience in
the business which was to be his life work. During the years which
followed he was connected with commercial interests of Toronto, Montreal
and Guelph, Canada, and New York city, the eastern metropolis of the
United States. In 1911 he came to Alberta, and being favorably impressed
with business conditions in Edmonton, he here organized the firm of
James Ramsey, Ltd., in 1912, of which he has since been the head. Under
his judicious management the business has rapidly developed and he is
now controlling one of the largest department stores in western Canada.
Broad practical experience has given him a comprehensive understanding
of the principles of merchandising and no detail of the business escapes
his observation, while the larger factors in his affairs are directed
with notable assurance and power. He has closely studied trade
conditions and the demands of the public and employs the most modern and
progressive methods in the operation of his establishment, which is high
class in every particular. He is now conducting a business of extensive
proportions and is bending every effort toward the legitimate expansion
of his house.
At Plattsville, Ontario,
on the 1st of October, 1884, Mr. Ramsey was married to Miss Clara Alice
Reynolds, a daughter of Alfred Reynolds, deceased, and they have become
the parents 'of three children: Ruby, the wife of Charles H. Reed of
Edmonton; Clara, now Mrs. W. H. Smith and a resident of Toronto; and
Thomas Norman, who was born April 24, 1895. In September, 1915, his son
enlisted at Edmonton for service in the World war, becoming a private in
the Sixty-third Battalion of Infantry, and oil January 15, 1916, he was
commissioned a lieutenant. Lieutenant Ramsey was married at Edmonton oil
5th of April, 1921, to Miss Menotah Mary Randall.
Mr. Ramsey is a member of
the Methodist church and he exercises his right of franchise in support
of the men and measures of the Conservative party. It would be
impossible for a mail his ability and public spirit to remain long in
the background and he has been chosen to fill important public offices,
the duties of which he has discharged with conscientiousness and
efficiency. In 1915 and 1916 he was a member of the board of aldermen of
Edmonton and from 1917 until 1921 he represented the district of
Edmonton in the Alberta legislature. He is an ex-president of the
Edmonton Board of Trade and (luring the World war served as chairman of
the Northern Provincial Victory Loan committee in every campaign, while
he was also a member of the National Victory Loan committee. He is a
Master Mason and a member of the Loyal Orange Lodge, the Edmonton Club,
the Edmonton and Mayfair Golf & Country Clubs, and the Canadian Club.
His interests and activities are thus evenly balanced and his is a
well-rounded development. Mr. Ramsey is a self-made man who has risen to
the top through hard work and the faithful performance of each task
assigned him, coupled with the ability to meet and master situations,
and his constantly expanding powers have carried him into a field of
broad usefulness and constantly widening opportunities. A large
mercantile establishment stands as a monument to his organizing genius
and administrative ability and he has made his influence felt as a
moving force for good in business circles of Edmonton. |
