George Balfour (Liberal politician): Difference between revisions
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Revision as of 23:46, 29 October 2013
General Sir George Balfour KCB (1809 - 12 March 1894) was British Army officer and a Liberal politician who sat in the House of Commons from 1872 to 1892.
Balfour was the son of the George Balfour, of Montrose. He was educated at the Addiscombe Military Seminary and became a lieutenant in the Madras Artillery in 1825. From 1832, he served with Malacca Field Force and was Staff Officer of Artillery with the Malacca Field Force from 1832 to 1833 when it was active in the capture of Chusan, Canton, and Amoy. He was adjutant of Artillery from 1833 to 1842, and A.A.G. from 1834 to 1835, He was with the Field Force in the ceded districts, and in action of Zorapore in 1839 when he became Brigade Major in India. From 1840 to 1842 he was in China with the China Force from 1840 to 1842, He was agent for captured property in China from 1841 to 1842 and receiver of public money paid by China under the Treaty of Nanking.
He was consul at Shanghai from 1843 to 1846. He arrived in Shanghai on November 8, 1843, and immediately began discussions with the ranking local Chinese official, the Taotai, on the opening of foreign trade and the site of a foreign settlement. Shanghai was declared open to foreign trade on November 14th, 1843, and agreement was reached on the terms under which the foreign settlement would be established. The Chinese official position was that land could not be sold outright to foreigners, but a compromise was reached whereby it was allowed for land to be rented in perpetuity. Balfour first rented a house within the Shanghai town walls for use as the official British consular residence. He left the post of Shanghai consul in 1846, and was replaced by Rutherford Alcock.
In 1844, Balfour became captain and major. From 1849 to 1857 he was a member of Madras Military Board and from 1852 to 1854 he was Commissioner of Public Works in Madras.
In 1854, Balfour was promoted to lieutenant-colonel and awarded the CB. He became colonel in 1856 and was Inspector-General of Ordnance, in Madras from 1857 to 1859, member of Military Finance Commission of India from 1859 to 1860 and president of the Finance Committee and chairman of the Military. Finance Department of India from 1860 to 1862. In 1865 he was promoted to major-general and was a member of Royal Commission on Recruiting for the Army from 1866 to 1867, and assistant to the Controller-in-Chief at the War Office from 1868 to 1871. He was awarded KCB in 1870 [1]
Balfour was elected Member of Parliament for Kincardineshire at a by-election in 1872. He held the seat until 1892.[2]
Balfour was promoted to lieutenant general in 1874, and to general in 1877 when he was colonel-commandant of the Royal Artillery. He was a Deputy Lieutenant and J.P. for Kincardineshire.[1]
Balfour died at the age of 84.
Balfour married in 1848, Charlotte Isabella Hume, daughter of Joseph Hume M.P.[1]
References
External links
Hansard 1803–2005: contributions in Parliament by George Balfour