The nephew of the 3rd Earl and son of the Deputy Lord Lieutenant of Ayrshire, Sir David Boyle Glasgow was born in 1833. He was on active service with the Royal Navy during the Crimean War 1854-55 and the Chinese War in 1857.
He was Commander of HMS Niobe when the ship was wrecked off Miquelon in 1874, but was exonerated by an inquiry. He was Captain when he retired from the navy.
He inherited his title in 1890, succeeding a cousin. He later received a Barony for his services as Governor of New Zealand. He was the cousin of another Governor of New Zealand, Sir James Fergusson.
Sir David died in 1915.
Biographical information courtesy of NZ Almanack
Read the Earl of Glasgow's biography on Wikipedia