Perth Amboy evening news., 1919-08-07
o. W. Ramsay Dies Following
Long Illness; Noted Worker
(continued from page Id

Mr.. Ramsay took an active interest
In all public matters and during the
influenza epidemic n Morgan Shell
plant explosion worked increasingly to
aid those who were suffering from the
hardships brought on by them. He
was chairman Of the Citizens Emer-
gency Relief Committee that had
charge of the Influenza epidemic in
this city and gave up time from his
W business to aid his fellow men.
AS for his own personal interests
he was president of the East Jersey
Lumber Company, the East Jersey
Bridge Company and the East Jersey
Contracting Company. He was also a
emil of the Board of Trustees of
the First Presbyterion church.
Governor Fielder appointed Mr..
Ramsay a member of the ways and
means committee that conducted the
free lighterage discrimination case of
New Jersey against New York city.
He has represented the Third Con-
~gressional district on the board of
governors of the Federation of the
State Chamber of Commerce for two
years, and he was a national council
Tor of the Chamber of Commerce of
the United States.
Mr.. Ramsay was Scotch and proud
of 1t. He was the son Of the late
Hugh and Sarah Ramsay and was
born on December 8, 1854, at Summer
side, Prince Edward Island, Canada.
He attended the public schools of
his native island and Boston until he
was 16 years old, when he entered the
employ of Peters & Parkinson, bank
ers, of Boston. He became stock clerk
of this concern, which is now Parkin-
son & Burr, and remained with it until
he was FL years old, when he came to
Perth Amboy to engage in the ship
hl1i1din0 h1cinacc NTH hic fothar HI
remained in this business until 1900,
but took time out, beginning in 1897,
TO carry out a S750,000 contract for
the Improvement of the harbor of
Portland, Me. In 1901 he engaged in
the lumber and timber business and
established saw mills in New Jersey,
Staten Island and West Virginia for
the East Jersey Lumber Company.
Within the last few years he organ-
lied the East Jersey Contracting Com
pany, which does street work and gen.
eral contracting. and the East Jersey
Bridge Company, which constructs
bridges, docks, wharves and bulk
heads.
In politics Mr.. Ramsay was a
staunch Republican. He was chair
mar of the Middlesex County Repub-
lican Committee for several years
and was a member of the common
council from the old Second ward of
Perth Amboy more than twenty years
ago. While a member of council he
was chairman of the committee on
streets and sewers and was a, member
of the committee that rave Perth Am
boy its municipal water system.
Mr.. Ramsay married Miss Edith
Buffum, of East Boston, In 1890. He
is the father of sever children, of
whom five are living, and has two
grandchildren. His oldest daughter is
the wife of Marion F. Merris, who is
the son of the secretary of the numer-
Gus Guggenheim companies. His old
est son, Thomas NJ. Is employed at
Cramps in Philadelphia.
Mr.. Ramsay was ar enthusiastic
automobilist. He was fond of fishing
and hunting. and when on a vacation,
which was not often, he spent it either
fishing at Block Island or hunting
deer in Maine. He was a member of
Salaam Temple. Order of the Mystic
Shrine, of Newark, of the New York
Athletic Club, the Colonia Country
Club, of st. Andrews Society, New
York, and the East Jersey Club, of
Perth Amboy, and he was a member
of the Engineers Club of New York
for several years.