Arthur James Balfour

The son of a Scottish landowner, Arthur James Balfour received his degree from Trinity College, Cambridge, in 1869. Elected MP (1874-1906, 1906-1922) in 1874 at the age of 26, Balfour took office in his uncle's (Lord Salisbury's) administration as President of the Local Government Board (1885-1886). From 1887 to 1891 he was Chief Secretary for Ireland. Salisbury then appointed him Leader of the House of Commons (1891-1892, 1895-1905), and Balfour became his spokesman and sounding board in the Commons. He was also given the office of First Lord of the Treasury (1891-1892), usually reserved for prime minister.

When Salisbury resigned in 1902 Balfour was entrusted with the formation of government by King Edward VII on 12 Jul 1902. He retained the office of First Lord of the Treasury (1895-1905) and also assumed the post of Leader of the Conservative Party (12 Jul 1902- 8 Nov 1911). Balfour believed in maintaining the Empire and was shocked by government inefficiencies revealed in the conduct of the Boer War. He threw his considerable energies behind the problems of national defense, establishing an effective Defense Committee of the Cabinet (with himself in the chair) and supported the development of the navy. Although he opposed Home Rule for Ireland, he was instrumental in the Irish Land Purchase Act (14 Aug 1903) designed to help tenants purchase land. Active in foreign affairs he negotiated skillfully during the Russo-Japanese war (1904-1905) and took a positive stance concerning emerging Anglo-American cooperation. In domestic matters he was particularly concerned with education, and he promoted the Education Act (18 Dec 1902), which provided state aid for voluntary schools. During his administration a number of new universities were founded, including Manchester, Liverpool, and Sheffield, and he always supported the role of modern technology in developing industry and hence exports and trade. In December 1905, he failed to secure party unity on fiscal matters and resigned (4 Dec 1905) after three years in office.

During the next twenty years Balfour held many senior posts, including Foreign Secretary (1916-1919), when he made the celebrated Balfour Declaration in 1917 to 'establish in Palestine a national home for the Jews'. As Lord President in 1921 he represented Britain at the Washington Conference on Naval Limitation and joined the Cabinet of Stanley Baldwin as late as 1925, adding to an unusual record of sustained post Prime Ministerial service. [1, pp. 217-222]