Tea merchant and Hong Kong politician. Born in Stornoway (Lewis), the son of a ship's captain who sailed tea clippers for Jardine, Matheson & Co. trading with the Far East. Ryrie arrived in China in 1851 and joined an opium-trading company. He did well and advanced quickly, becoming a leading businessman, with interests in tea, farming, banking and transport. He was responsible for installing tramways in the colony, served as Chairman of the Hong Kong Chamber of Commerce on three occasions and became a long-serving member of the Hong Kong Legislative Council in 1867. He was a founder of the St. Andrew's Society of Hong Kong (1881) and the founding Chairman of the famous Hong Kong Jockey Club (1884).
Ryrie lies buried in the colonial-era cemetery at Happy Valley on Hong Kong Island.
