Arthur Balfour

Arthur James Balfour, 1st Earl of Balfour ( 25 July 1848 - 19 March 1930 ) was a British statesman and the thirty-third Prime Minister of the United Kingdom .

He authored the Perpetual Crimes Act (1887) (or Coercion Act) aimed at the prevention of boycotting , intimidation, unlawful assembly in Ireland during the Irish Land War , and was the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1902 to 1905, a time when his party and government became divided over the issue of tariff reform. Later, as Foreign Secretary , he authored the Balfour Declaration of 1917 , which supported the establishment of a Jewish homeland in Palestine .

As a young man Balfour studied philosophy, and inherited a large fortune at 21. Entering Parliament in 1874 , he achieved prominence as Chief Secretary for Ireland , in which position he suppressed agrarian unrest whilst taking measures against absentee landlords. He opposed Irish Home Rule, saying there could be no half-way house between Ireland remaining within the United Kingdom or becoming independent. From 1891 he led the Conservative Party in the House of Commons, serving under his uncle, Lord Salisbury , whose government won large majorities in 1895 and 1900 . He oversaw reform of British defence policy and the Entente Cordiale , an agreement with France that influenced Britain's decision to join the First World War . However, he was seen as an ambivalent personality and a weak Prime Minister. He cautiously embraced the imperial preference championed by Joseph Chamberlain , but resignations from the Cabinet left his party divided. He also suffered from public anger at the later stages of the Boer war (counter-insurgency warfare characterized as "methods of barbarism") and the importation of Chinese labour to South Africa ("Chinese slavery"). He resigned as Prime Minister in December 1905 and the following month the Conservatives suffered landslide defeat at the 1906 election . He continued to serve as Leader of the Opposition throughout the crisis over Lloyd George's 1909 budget, the narrow loss of two further General Elections in 1910, and the passage of the Parliament Act . He resigned as party leader later in 1911. Balfour returned to the Cabinet as First Lord of the Admiralty in Asquith's Coalition Government (1915–16). In December 1916 he became Foreign Secretary in David Lloyd George 's wartime administration, but was frequently left out of the inner workings of government, although the Balfour Declaration bore his name. He resigned as Foreign Secretary following the Versailles Conference in 1919, although he continued to hold senior Cabinet positions throughout the 1920s. A declaration of 1926 giving a measure of independence to the Dominions also bears his name. He died on 19 March 1930 aged 81, having largely spent his inherited fortune.

Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1902 to 1905 This article is about the politician. Personal details Born Arthur James Balfour ( 1848-07-25 ) 25 July 1848 Whittingehame House , East Lothian, Scotland Died 19 March 1930 (1930-03-19) (aged 81) Woking , Surrey, England Resting place Whittingehame Church, Whittingehame Party Conservative Parent James Maitland Balfour (father) Alma mater Trinity College, Cambridge Signature Arthur James Balfour, 1st Earl of Balfour , KG , OM , PC , FRS , FBA , DL ( / ˈ b æ l f ər , - f ɔːr / , traditionally Scottish / b əl ˈ f ʊər / ; 25 July 1848 – 19 March 1930), also known as Lord Balfour , was a British statesman and Conservative politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1902 to 1905. As foreign secretary in the Lloyd George ministry , he issued the Balfour Declaration of 1917 on behalf of the cabinet, which supported a "home for the Jewish people" in Palestine. Entering Parliament in 1874 , Balfour achieved prominence as Chief Secretary for Ireland , in which position he suppressed agrarian unrest whilst taking measures against absentee landlords . He opposed Irish Home Rule , saying there could be no half-way house between Ireland remaining within the United Kingdom or becoming independent. From 1891 he led the Conservative Party in the House of Commons, serving under his uncle, Lord Salisbury , whose government won large majorities in 1895 and 1900 . An esteemed debater, he was bored by the mundane tasks of party management. In July 1902, he succeeded his uncle as prime minister. In domestic policy he passed the Land Purchase (Ireland) Act 1903 , which bought out most of the Anglo-Irish land owners. The Education Act 1902 had a major long-term impact in modernising the school system in England and Wales and provided financial support for schools operated by the Church of England and by the Catholic Church. Nonconformists were outraged and mobilised their voters, but were unable to reverse it. In foreign and defence policy, he oversaw reform of British defence policy and supported Jackie Fisher 's naval innovations. He secured the Entente Cordiale with France, an alliance that ended centuries of intermittent conflict between the two states and their predecessors. He cautiously embraced imperial preference as championed by Joseph Chamberlain , but resignations from the Cabinet over the abandonment of free trade left his party divided. He also suffered from public anger at the later stages of the Boer War (counter-insurgency warfare characterised as "methods of barbarism") and the importation of Chinese labour to South Africa ("Chinese slavery"). He resigned as prime minister in December 1905 and the following month the Conservatives suffered a landslide defeat at the 1906 election , in which he lost his own seat. He soon re-entered Parliament and continued to serve as Leader of the Opposition throughout the crisis over Lloyd George's 1909 budget , the narrow loss of two further General Elections in 1910, and the passage of the Parliament Act 1911 . He resigned as party leader in 1911. Balfour returned as First Lord of the Admiralty in Asquith's Coalition Government (1915–1916). In December 1916, he became foreign secretary in David Lloyd George 's coalition. He was frequently left out of the inner workings of foreign policy, although the Balfour Declaration on a Jewish homeland bore his name. He continued to serve in senior positions throughout the 1920s, and died in 1930, aged 81, having spent a vast inherited fortune. Balfour trained as a philosopher – he originated an argument against believing that human reason could determine truth – and was seen as having a detached attitude to life, epitomised by a remark attributed to him: "Nothing matters very much and few things matter at all". The Place-Names of Fife .

Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1902 to 1905 This article is about the politician. Personal details Born Arthur James Balfour ( 1848-07-25 ) 25 July 1848 Whittingehame House , East Lothian , Scotland Died 19 March 1930 (1930-03-19) (aged 81) Woking , Surrey , England Resting place Whittingehame Church, Whittingehame Party Conservative Parent James Maitland Balfour (father) Alma mater Trinity College, Cambridge Signature Arthur James Balfour, 1st Earl of Balfour ( / ˈ b æ l f ər , - f ɔːr / ; 25 July 1848 – 19 March 1930) was a British statesman and Conservative politician who served as the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1902 to 1905. As foreign secretary in the Lloyd George ministry , he issued the Balfour Declaration of 1917 on behalf of the cabinet, which supported a "home for the Jewish people" in Palestine . Entering Parliament in 1874 , Balfour achieved prominence as Chief Secretary for Ireland , in which position he suppressed agrarian unrest whilst taking measures against absentee landlords . He opposed Irish Home Rule , saying there could be no half-way house between Ireland remaining within the United Kingdom or becoming independent. From 1891 he led the Conservative Party in the House of Commons, serving under his uncle, Lord Salisbury , whose government won large majorities in 1895 and 1900 . An esteemed debater, he was bored by the mundane tasks of party management. In July 1902, he succeeded his uncle as prime minister. In domestic policy he passed the Land Purchase (Ireland) Act 1903 , which bought out most of the Anglo-Irish landowners. The Education Act 1902 had a major long-term impact in modernising the school system in England and Wales and provided financial support for schools operated by the Church of England and by the Catholic Church. Nonconformists were outraged and mobilised their voters, but were unable to reverse it. In foreign and defence policy, he oversaw reform of British defence policy and supported Jackie Fisher 's naval innovations. He secured the Entente Cordiale with France, an agreement that paved the way for improved relations between the two states and their predecessors. He cautiously embraced imperial preference as championed by Joseph Chamberlain , but resignations from the Cabinet over the abandonment of free trade left his party divided. He also suffered from public anger at the later stages of the Boer War (counter-insurgency warfare characterised as "methods of barbarism") and the importation of Chinese labour to South Africa ("Chinese slavery"). He resigned as prime minister in December 1905 and the following month the Conservatives suffered a landslide defeat at the 1906 election , in which he lost his own seat. He soon re-entered Parliament and continued to serve as Leader of the Opposition throughout the crisis over Lloyd George's 1909 budget , the narrow loss of two further General Elections in 1910, and the passage of the Parliament Act 1911 . He resigned as party leader in 1911. Balfour returned as First Lord of the Admiralty in Asquith's Coalition Government (1915–1916). In December 1916, he became foreign secretary in David Lloyd George 's coalition. He was frequently left out of the inner workings of foreign policy, although the Balfour Declaration on a Jewish homeland bore his name. He continued to serve in senior positions throughout the 1920s, and died in 1930, aged 81, having spent a vast inherited fortune. Balfour trained as a philosopher – he originated an argument against believing that human reason could determine truth – and was seen as having a detached attitude to life, epitomised by a remark attributed to him: "Nothing matters very much and few things matter at all." "Balfour, Arthur James" .