biography
| name: |
Balfour, Arthur James Balfour, 1st Earl
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pronunciation:
[balfer]
| sex:
| male
|
| lived:
| (1848–1930)
|
| biography:
| British statesman and philosopher, born in Whittingehame, East Lothian, E Scotland, UK. He studied at Cambridge, and entered parliament in 1874 as a Conservative MP for Hertford. He was returned for East Manchester (1885), was secretary for Scotland (1886), chief secretary for Ireland (1887), and First Lord of the Treasury and Leader of the House of Commons (1892–3). His premiership saw the end of the Boer War (1902), the Education Act (1905), and the establishment of the Committee of Imperial Defence. In 1911 he resigned the leadership of the House owing to the constitutional crisis. He followed Churchill to the Admiralty (1915) and served under Lloyd George as foreign secretary (1916–19). He was responsible for the famous Balfour declaration (1917) which promised Zionists a national home in Palestine, and as Lord President of the Council (1921) was responsible for the controversial note cancelling Allied war debts to America. |
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