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Arthur Balfour
*** Shopping-Tip: Arthur Balfour
{{Infobox PM
| name=
Right Honourable The Rt Hon Arthur Balfour
| image=Balfour.jpg
| country=the United Kingdom
| term=
11 July,
1902 –
5 December,
1905
| before=
Robert Gascoyne-Cecil, 3rd Marquess of Salisbury The Marquess of Salisbury
| after=
Henry Campbell-Bannerman Sir Henry Campbell-Bannerman
| date_birth=
25 July,
1848
| place_birth=
Whittingehame,
Haddingtonshire
| date_death=
19 March 1930
| place_death=
Woking,
Surrey
| party=
Conservative Party (UK) Conservative
}}
'''Arthur James Balfour, 1st Earl of Balfour''',
Order of the Garter KG,
Order of Merit OM,
Privy Council of the United Kingdom PC (
25 July 1848–
19 March 1930) was a
United Kingdom British statesman and the thirty-third
Prime Minister of the United Kingdom. He is perhaps best known as author of the
Balfour Declaration, 1917 Balfour Declaration of
1917, promising a
Zionism homeland for the
Jewish people.
Early life
The eldest son of
James Maitland Balfour of
Whittingehame,
Haddingtonshire, and of
Lady Blanche Gascoyne-Cecil, Arthur Balfour was born at Whittingehame. He was educated at
Eton College Eton (1861-1866) and
Trinity College, Cambridge (1866-1869), where he received a
British undergraduate degree classification Second-Class Honours Degree. In 1874 he became
Conservative Party (UK) Conservative Member of Parliament MP for
Hertford and represented that constituency until 1885. In the spring of 1878 Balfour became
Parliamentary Private Secretary Private Secretary to his uncle,
Robert Gascoyne-Cecil, 3rd Marquess of Salisbury Lord Salisbury. In that capacity he accompanied Salisbury to the
Congress of Berlin, and gained his first experience of international politics in connection with the settlement of the Russo-Turkish conflict. At the same time, he became known in the world of letters, the intellectual subtlety and literary capacity of his ''Defence of Philosophic Doubt'' (1879) suggesting that he might make a reputation as a philosopher.
Balfour divided his time between the political arena and the study. Released from his duties as private secretary by the general election of 1880, he began to take a more active part in parliamentary affairs. He was for a time politically associated with
Lord Randolph Churchill,
Henry Drummond Wolff Sir Henry Drummond Wolff and
John Gorst, the quartet becoming known as the "Fourth Party", and gaining notoriety by the freedom of the criticisms directed by its leader, Lord Randolph Churchill, against
Stafford Northcote, 1st Earl of Iddesleigh Sir Stafford Northcote,
R. A. Cross, 1st Viscount Cross Lord Cross and other prominent members of the "old gang". Balfour was thought to be merely amusing himself with politics. The House did not take him quite seriously. Members looked upon him merely as a young member of the governing classes who remained in the House because it was the proper thing for a man of family to do.
In Lord Salisbury's Governments
Lord Salisbury disagreed, and made Balfour
President of the Local Government Board (1885 - 1886), and later
Secretary for Scotland (1886) with a seat in the cabinet. These offices, while having few opportunities for distinction, served as a sort of apprenticeship for Balfour. In early 1887 Sir
Michael Hicks-Beach, the
Chief Secretary for Ireland, resigned because of illness, and Salisbury appointed his nephew in his place. The selection took the political world by surprise, and was much criticized, possibly leading to the British phrase "Bob's your uncle!" Balfour surprised his critics by his ruthless enforcement of the Crimes Act, earning the nickname "Bloody Balfour". Coupled with steady administration, Balfour did much to destroy his reputation as a public lightweight.
In Parliament he resisted any overtures to the
Irish Parliamentary Party on
Home Rule, and was active in encouraging
Unionists (Ireland) Unionist militancy in Ireland. He broadened the basis of material prosperity and social progress by creating the
Congested Districts Board in 1890. During the period 1886 - 1892, he developed gifts of oratory that made him one of the most effective of public speakers. Impressive in matter rather than in delivery, and seldom rising to the level of eloquence as had
John Bright Bright and
William Ewart Gladstone Gladstone, his speeches were logical and convincing, and delighted a wider audience.
On the death of
William Henry Smith (politician) W. H. Smith in 1891, he became
First Lord of the Treasury and
Leader of the House of Commons. After the fall of the government in 1892 he spent three years as
Leader of the Opposition (UK) Leader of the Opposition. On the return of the Conservatives to power in 1895, he resumed the leadership of the House, but not at first successfully, his management of the abortive education proposals of 1896 being thought to show a disinclination for the continuous drudgery of parliamentary management. After the opening session things went more smoothly, and Balfour regained his old reputation. He had the satisfaction of seeing a bill pass for providing Ireland with an improved system of local government, and took an active share in the debates on the various foreign and domestic questions that came before parliament during 1895 - 1900.
During the illness of Lord Salisbury in 1898, and again in Lord Salisbury's absence abroad, he was in charge of the
Foreign Office, and it was his job to conduct the critical negotiations with Russia on the question of railways in North China. As a member of the cabinet responsible for the
Second Boer War Transvaal negotiations in 1899, he bore his full share of controversy, and when the
Second Boer War war began disastrously, he was the first to realize the need to put the full military strength of the country into the field. His leadership of the House of Commons was marked by considerable firmness in the suppression of obstruction, but there was a slight revival of the criticisms that had been current in 1896. Balfour's inability to get the maximum amount of work out of the House was largely due to the situation in
South Africa, which absorbed the intellectual energies of the House and of the country.
Balfour as Prime Minister
On Lord Salisbury's resignation on
11 July 1902, Balfour succeeded him as Prime Minister, with the approval of all sections of the unionist party. The new Prime Minister came into power practically at the same moment as the coronation of
Edward VII of the United Kingdom Edward VII and the end of the
South African War. For a while no cloud appeared on the horizon: and the Liberal party was still disorganized over their attitude towards the Boers. The two chief items of the ministerial parliamentary program were the extension of the new Education Act to London and the Irish Land Purchase Act, by which the British exchequer should advance the capital for enabling the tenants in Ireland to buy out the landlords. Moreover, the budget was certain to show a surplus and taxation could be remitted. As events proved, it was the budget that was to provide a cause of dissension, bringing a new political movement into being, and an issue overriding all the legislative interest of the session.
Charles Thomson Ritchie Ritchie's remission of the shilling import-duty on corn led to
Joseph Chamberlain Chamberlain's crusade in favor of tariff reform and colonial preference, and as the session preceded the rift grew in the unionist ranks.
The debate over
Imperial Preference (see article for detailed explanation) and the subsequent split of the Conservative-Unionist Party dominated the three years of Balfour's premiership. Balfour eventually resigned in December of 1905, and the Conservatives were soundly defeated by the Liberals at the general election, Balfour himself losing his seat at
Manchester East (UK Parliament constituency) Manchester East (he quickly found another seat). A notable achievement of his government was the establishment of the
Committee on Imperial Defence.
Later career
After the disaster of 1905 Balfour remained party leader, and made the controversial decision, with
Henry Petty-Fitzmaurice, 5th Marquess of Lansdowne Lord Lansdowne, to use the heavily Unionist
House of Lords as an active check on the Liberal party. Numerous pieces of reforming legislation were vetoed or mangled by amendment between 1906 and 1909, leading
David Lloyd George to remark that the Lords had become "not the watchdog of the Constitution, but Mr. Balfour's poodle." The issue was eventually forced by the
Liberal Party (UK) Liberals with Lloyd George's famous People's Budget, provoking the constitutional crisis that eventually led the
Parliament Act of 1911, which eliminated the Lord's veto power. Exhausted, Balfour resigned as party leader after the crisis, and was succeeded by
Andrew Bonar Law.
He remained an important figure within the party, however, and when the Unionists joined
Herbert Asquith Asquith's coalition government in May 1915, Balfour succeeded
Winston Churchill as
First Lord of the Admiralty. When Asquith's government collapsed in December, 1916, Balfour became
Foreign Secretary in Lloyd George's new war cabinet, but was not included in the Cabinet, and was frequently left out of the loop. Balfour's service as Foreign Secretary was most notable for the issuance of the so-called
Balfour Declaration, 1917 Balfour Declaration of 1917, a letter to Lord Rothschild promising the Jews a "national home" in
Palestine (region) Palestine. Balfour resigned as Foreign Secretary following the
Treaty of Versailles Versailles Conference in 1919, but continued on in the government (and now, the Cabinet) as
Lord President of the Council until 1922, when he, along with most of the Conservative leadership, resigned with Lloyd George's government following the Conservative back-bencher revolt that put Law into office.
In 1922 Balfour was created
Earl of Balfour and in 1925 once again returned to the Cabinet, serving as
Lord President of the Council in
Stanley Baldwin's second government. Balfour died in 1930.
Lord Balfour's estate was probated 76,433 pounds sterling on
August 27,
1930.
Writings
Balfour's other publications, not yet mentioned, include ''Essays and Addresses'' (1893), ''The Foundations of Belief, being Notes introductory to the Study of Theology'' (1895), and ''Questionings on Criticism and Beauty'' (Oxford, Clarendon Press, 1909), the
Romanes Lecture for 1909.
He was made LL.D. of the
University of Edinburgh in 1881; of
St Andrews University in 1885; of
University of Cambridge Cambridge University in 1888; of Dublin and Glasgow Universities in 1891; lord rector of St Andrews University in 1886; of Glasgow University in 1890; chancellor of Edinburgh University in 1891; member of the senate London University in 1888; and DCL of Oxford University in 1891. He was president of the British Association in 1904, and became a fellow of the Royal Society in 1888. He was known from early life as a cultured musician, and became an enthusiastic golf player, having been captain of the Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St Andrews in 1894-1895.
Arthur Balfour's Government, July 1902 - December 1905
Image:Arthur-Balfour-arms.PNG thumb|right|150px|Arms of Arthur Balfour
*Arthur Balfour -
First Lord of the Treasury and
Leader of the House of Commons
*
Hardinge Giffard, 1st Earl of Halsbury Lord Halsbury -
Lord Chancellor
*
Spencer Cavendish, 8th Duke of Devonshire The Duke of Devonshire -
Lord President of the Council and
Leader of the House of Lords
*
Charles Vane-Tempest-Stewart, 6th Marquess of Londonderry Lord Londonderry -
Lord Privy Seal and
President of the Board of Education
*
Aretas Akers-Douglas, 1st Viscount Chilston Aretas Akers-Douglas -
Secretary of State for the Home Department
*
Henry Petty-FitzMaurice, 5th Marquess of Lansdowne Lord Lansdowne -
Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs
*
Joseph Chamberlain -
Secretary of State for the Colonies
*
St John Brodrick, 1st Earl of Midleton St John Brodrick -
Secretary of State for War
*
Lord George Hamilton -
Secretary of State for India
*
William Palmer, 2nd Earl of Selborne Lord Selborne -
First Lord of the Admiralty
*
Charles Thomson Ritchie -
Chancellor of the Exchequer
*
Gerald Balfour, 2nd Earl of Balfour Gerald Balfour -
President of the Board of Trade
*
William Hood Walrond, 1st Baron Waleran Sir William Hood Walrond -
Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster
*
Alexander Bruce, 6th Lord Balfour of Burleigh Lord Balfour of Burleigh -
Secretary for Scotland
*
George Wyndham -
Chief Secretary for Ireland
*
Walter Hume Long -
President of the Local Government Board
*
Robert William Hanbury -
President of the Board of Agriculture
*
Edward Gibson, 1st Baron Ashbourne Lord Ashbourne -
Lord Chancellor of Ireland
*
Robert Windsor-Clive, 1st Earl of Plymouth Lord Windsor -
First Commissioner of Public Works
*
Austen Chamberlain -
United Kingdom Postmaster General Postmaster-General
'''Changes'''
*May
1903 -
William Onslow, 4th Earl of Onslow Lord Onslow succeeds R.W. Hanbury at the Board of Agriculture.
*September-October
1903 -
Charles Vane-Tempest-Stewart, 6th Marquess of Londonderry Lord Londonderry succeeds the
Spencer Cavendish, 8th Duke of Devonshire Duke of Devonshire as Lord President, while remaining also President of the Board of Education. Lord Lansdowne succeeds Devonshire as Leader of the House of Lords, remaining also Foreign Secretary.
James Gascoyne-Cecil, 4th Marquess of Salisbury Lord Salisbury succeeds Londonderry as Lord Privy Seal.
Austen Chamberlain succeeds
Charles Thomson Rictchie Ritchie at the Exchequer. Chamberlain's successor as Postmaster-General is not in the Cabinet.
Alfred Lyttelton succeeds
Joseph Chamberlain as Colonial Secretary.
St John Brodrick, 1st Earl of Midleton St John Brodrick succeeds
Lord George Hamilton as Secretary for India.
Hugh Arnold-Forster succeeds Brodrick as Secretary for War.
Andrew Murray, 1st Viscount Dunedin Andrew Graham-Murray succeeds Lord Balfour of Burleigh as Secretary for Scotland.
*March
1905 -
Walter Hume Long succeeds
George Wyndham as Irish Secretary.
Gerald Balfour, 2nd Earl of Balfour Gerald Balfour succeeds Long at the Local Government Board.
James Gascoyne-Cecil, 4th Marquess of Salisbury Lord Salisbury, remaining Lord Privy Seal, succeeds Balfour at the Board of Trade.
Frederick Campbell, 3rd Earl Cawdor Lord Cawdor succeeds
William Palmer, 2nd Earl of Selborne Lord Selborne at the Admiralty.
Ailwyn Fellowes succeeds Lord Onslow at the Board of Agriculture.
Succession
{{start box}}
{{succession box |
before=
Charles Wentworth Dilke, 2nd Baronet Sir Charles Dilke |
title=
President of the Local Government Board |
years=1885–1886 |
after=
Joseph Chamberlain
}}
{{succession box |
before=
John William Ramsay, 13th Earl of Dalhousie The Earl of Dalhousie |
title=
Secretary for Scotland |
years=1886–1887 |
after=
Schomberg Henry Kerr, 9th Marquess of Lothian The Marquess of Lothian
}}
{{succession box |
before=
Michael Hicks-Beach, 1st Earl St Aldwyn Sir Michael Hicks-Beach |
title=
Chief Secretary for Ireland |
years=1887–1891 |
after=
William Lawies Jackson, 1st Baron Allerton William Lawies Jackson
}}
{{succession box one by three to two |
before=
William Henry Smith |
title1=
Leaders of the Conservative Party Conservative Leader in the Commons |
title2=
First Lord of the Treasury |
title3=
Leader of the House of Commons |
years1=1891–1911 |
years2=1891–1892 |
years3=1891–1892 |
after1=
Andrew Bonar Law |
after2=
William Ewart Gladstone
}}
{{succession box three by five to three |
before1=
Archibald Philip Primrose, 5th Earl of Rosebery The Earl of Rosebery |
title1=
First Lord of the Treasury |
years1=1895–1905 |
after1=
Henry Campbell-Bannerman Sir Henry Campbell-Bannerman |
before2=
William Vernon Harcourt (politician) Sir William Harcourt |
title2=
Leader of the House of Commons |
years2=1895–1905 |
before3=
Robert Gascoyne-Cecil, 3rd Marquess of Salisbury The Marquess of Salisbury |
title3=
Prime Minister of the United Kingdom |
years3=1902–1905 |
title4=
Lord Privy Seal|
years4=1902–1903|
after2=
James Gascoyne-Cecil, 4th Marquess of Salisbury The (4th) Marquess of Salisbury |
title5=
Leaders of the Conservative Party Leader of the British Conservative Party |
years5=1902–1911 |
after3=
Andrew Bonar Law'''and '''
Henry Petty-Fitzmaurice, 5th Marquess of Lansdowne The Marquess of Lansdowne
}}
{{succession box|title=
Leader of the Opposition (UK) Leader of the Opposition|before=
Henry Campbell-Bannerman Sir Henry Campbell-Bannerman|after=
Andrew Bonar Law|years=1905–1911}}
{{succession box |
before=
Winston Churchill |
title=
First Lord of the Admiralty |
years=1915–1916 |
after=
Edward Carson Sir Edward Carson
}}
{{succession box |
before=
Edward Grey, 1st Viscount Grey of Fallodon The Viscount Grey of Fallodon |
title=
Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs Foreign Secretary |
years=1916–1919 |
after=
George Nathaniel Curzon, 1st Marquess Curzon of Kedleston The Earl Curzon of Kedleston
}}
{{succession box |
before=
George Nathaniel Curzon, 1st Marquess Curzon of Kedleston The Earl Curzon of Kedleston |
title=
Lord President of the Council |
years=1919–1922 |
after=
James Edward Hubert Gascoyne-Cecil, 4th Marquess of Salisbury The Marquess of Salisbury}}
{{succession box |
before=
George Nathaniel Curzon, 1st Marquess Curzon of Kedleston The Marquess Curzon of Kedleston |
title=
Lord President of the Council |
years=1925–1929 |
after=
Charles Alfred Cripps, 1st Baron Parmoor The Lord Parmoor}}
{{succession box |
title=
Earl of Balfour |
years=1922–1930 |
before=New Creation |
after=
Gerald William Balfour, 2nd Earl of Balfour Gerald William Balfour}}
{{end}}
{{wikisource author}}
Reference
{{1911}}
{{UKPrimeMinisters}}
{{ConservativePartyLeader}}
Category:1848 births Balfour, Arthur
Category:1930 deaths Balfour, Arthur
Category:Alumni of Trinity College, Cambridge Balfour, Arthur
Category:British MPs Balfour, Arthur
Category:Earls in the Peerage of the United Kingdom
Category:Knights of the Garter Balfour, Arthur
Category:Leaders of the British Conservative Party Balfour, Arthur
Category:Lord Presidents of the Council Balfour, Arthur
Category:Lords Privy Seal Balfour, Arthur
Category:Members of the Order of Merit Balfour, Arthur
Category:Members of the Privy Council Balfour, Arthur
Category:Natives of East Lothian Balfour, Arthur
Category:Prime Ministers of the United Kingdom Balfour, Arthur
Category:Scottish politicians Balfour, Arthur
Category:Secretaries of State for Foreign Affairs (UK) Balfour, Arthur
Category:Old Etonians Balfour, Arthur
ar:آرثر جيمس بلÙ?ور
de:Arthur Balfour, 1. Earl of Balfour
es:Arthur James Balfour
fr:Arthur Balfour
id:Arthur James Balfour
it:Arthur James Balfour
he:×?רתור ×’'יימס בלפור
pl:Arthur Balfour
sv:Arthur Balfour
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