Balfour, Arthur James Balfour, 1st Earl of 1848-1930
Scottish statesman and philosopher

Born into an ancient Scottish family, he succeeded to the family estate in East Lothian in 1856. Educated at Eton and Trinity College, Cambridge, he entered parliament in 1874, becoming Secretary for Scotland (1886) and Chief Secretary for Ireland (1887-91), where his policy of suppression earned him the name of 'Bloody Balfour'. A Conservative, he succeeded his uncle Robert Cecil (3rd Marquis of Salisbury) as Prime Minister (1902-05), and later served as First Lord of the Admiralty (1915-16). As Foreign Secretary (1916-19), he was responsible for the Balfour Declaration (1917), which promised Zionists a national home in Palestine. He resigned in 1922, was created an earl, but served again as Lord President (1925-29).

Bibliography: S H Zebel, Balfour: A Political Biography (1973)