Marie Gabriel Joseph de Ramey was born in Paris. His father was Marie "Jacques" Henri de Ramey, the Viscount of Sugny. Joseph's uncle was the politician Francisque-Joseph Ramey, the Count of Sugny. His mother, born Marie Louise "Isabelle" Le Bègue, was the daughter of the banker-politician Charles Le Bègue de Germiny. Both Joseph's own marriages would be to women from well placed families. He joined the navy at Toulon in 1873. He studied at the Prytanée National military academy and at the French Naval Academy. de Ramey was appointed a Midshipman Class 2 in August 1875 and embarked on his first posting, aboard the frigate "Renomée". Promoted to Midshipman Class 1 in 1876, he was assigned to the cruiser "Thémis", part of the South Atlantic naval division. In January 1879 he was promoted to ship's ensign. He was assigned a position as an instruction on the training frigate "Résolue" and contributed to the production of a naval officer's manual. He was sent to work with the :fr:Dépôt des cartes et plans de la Marine|naval maps and charts service. He became a lieutenant in March 1884, serving on the cruiser "Infernet" in the South Atlantic naval division, and from January 1886 as adjutant to the divisional commander,. He took the opportunity to collect information on astronomy and hydrography. He served as officer of ship-handling and of look-out on the cruiser "Clorinde", part of the Newfoundland naval division before obtaining his own command in 1888 when he succeeded on the cruiser "La Clochetterie". In the meantime, he became a knight of the Légion d'Honneur on 19 December 1886. His hydrographical researches also led to his being attached to the Naval Hydrographic Service. In February 1889 de Ramey was seconded to the Navy Ministry. He represented the minister at the International Meteorological Congress held in Paris during the 1889 World Fair. In 1891 he was given command of the aviso "Actif" and then of the torpedo-aviso "Couleuvrine", stationed at Algiers for port and fisheries surveillance. He was then appointed aide de camp to on the cruiser "Naïade". He himself was promoted to the rank of :fr:Capitaine de frégate |frigate captain in 1896. He was appointed to the Gunnery School at the military port of Toulon where he was based for the next few years. In March 1900 he was given command of the armored cruiser "D'Estrées" with effect from January 1901. In November 1901 he was appointed to a land job as the French :fr:Attaché naval|naval attaché to Berlin where he maintained excellent relations with the German naval establishment and with the German emperor himself. De Ramey stayed in his Berlin posting till 1906. During this period, on 23 June 1903, he was promoted to the rank of :fr:Capitaine de vaisseau |vaisseau captain . On returning from Berlin, de Ramey held a succession of commands, starting with the recently built armored cruiser Léon Gambetta in April 1906. In February 1907 he switched from the Northern squadron to the Mediterranean squadron when he took on the armored cruiser Jeanne d'Arc, with which he participated in the Moroccan campaign. He took command of the armored cruiser Gloire in April 1908 and of the armored cruiser Suffren in January 1909. He was promoted to the rank of rear admiral on 14 May 1911, also appointed naval chief of staff and sea-front commander for Toulon. Three years later, when war broke out, he was given a senior command that included naval patrols of the Adriatic. On 13 July 1915, half a year short of his sixtieth birthday, he became a commander of the Légion d'Honneur. He became a grand officer of the Légion d'Honneur on 19 July 1921. Joseph de Ramey, the Count of Sugny, transferred to the naval reserve on 1 January 1917.
