In 1884 Ridgeway was given command of the Indian section of the
Afghan Boundary Commission, established by Russia and the United Kingdom to determine the northern boundary of
Afghanistan. He was
Under-Secretary for Ireland from 1887 to 1892, and
Lieutenant Governor of the Isle of Man from 1893 to 1895. He was
Governor of Ceylon (now
Sri Lanka) from 1896 to 1903. During that time, he was involved in bringing charges of
sodomy and
pederasty against
Hector MacDonald, commander of the troops in
Ceylon. Ridgeway advised MacDonald to return to London, his main concern being to avoid a massive
scandal: "Some, indeed most, of his victims ... are the sons of the best-known men in the Colony, English and native", he wrote, noting that he had persuaded the local press to keep quiet in hopes that "no more mud" would be stirred up. After facing increasing pressure from the allegations, MacDonald committed suicide in 1903. He stood unsuccessfully for election to the
House of Commons as a Liberal, in the
City of London in 1906 and in the
London University constituency at the
election of January 1910. From 1910 to 1926, he was President of the
North Borneo Chartered Company, which controlled the territory of
North Borneo. ==Honours==