John Balfour, 1st Baron Kinross
| The Right Honourable The Lord Kinross PC QC | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Lord Justice General | |
|
In office 1899–1905 | |
| Monarch |
Victoria Edward VII |
| Preceded by | James Robertson |
| Succeeded by | Andrew Graham Murray |
| Member of Parliament for Clackmannan and Kinross | |
|
In office 29 April 1880 – December 1899 | |
| Preceded by | Sir William Adam |
| Succeeded by | Eugene Wason |
| Personal details | |
| Spouse(s) | Lilias, Lady Kinross |
| Children | 5 |
John Blair Balfour, 1st Baron Kinross PC QC (11 July 1837 – 22 January 1905) was a Scottish lawyer and Liberal politician who sat in the House of Commons from 1880 to 1899.
Balfour as caricatured by Spy (Leslie Ward) in Vanity Fair, May 1886
Life
Balfour was born in Clackmannan, the son of Rev. P Balfour Minister of Clackmannan and his wife Jane Ramsay Blair, daughter of John Blair. He was educated at the Edinburgh Academy and Edinburgh University, becoming an advocate of the Scottish bar in 1861. He served as Advocate Depute from 1870 to 1872, and in 1880 was made a Queen's Counsel. He was a Deputy Lieutenant for Edinburgh.[1]
At the 1880 general election, Balfour stood unsuccessfully for parliament at Ayrshire North but in a by election six months later was elected Liberal Member of Parliament for Clackmannan and Kinross.[2] He was appointed Solicitor General for Scotland in 1880 and in 1881 he succeeded this appointment by becoming Lord Advocate, a post he held for four years. In 1882 he became a Privy Counsellor.[2]
In 1892, on the return of the Liberals to power, Balfour was again appointed Lord Advocate, finally resigning on the fall of Lord Rosebery's government in 1895. In 1899 he was appointed Lord Justice General and Lord President of the Court of Session, and on 15 July 1902 was created Baron Kinross, of Glascune in the County of Haddingtonshire.[3][2]
Balfour died 22 January 1905, at Rothsay Terrace, Edinburghin Edinburgh, and was buried in the "Lords Row" in Dean Cemetery, Edinburgh. His descendants are buried with him. [2]
Family
Balfour married Lilias Oswald Mackenzie daughter of Donald Mackenzie, styled Lord Mackenzie, a Lord of Session, in 1869. They had one son, Patrick Balfour, 2nd Baron Kinross (1870-1939).
He married secondly in 1877 the Hon. Marianne Eliza Moncrieff,[4] daughter of James Moncreiff, 1st Baron Moncreiff. [2] The couple had five children, 4 sons and 1 daughter.
Notes
- ↑ Debretts House of Commons and the Judicial Bench 1881
- 1 2 3 4 5 Omond 1912.
- ↑ The London Gazette: no. 27455. p. 4587. 18 July 1902.
- ↑ "Sitter: Hon Mrs Balfour.". Lafayette Negative Archive.
References
Omond, George William Thomson (1912). "Balfour, John Blair". In Lee, Sidney. Dictionary of National Biography, 1912 supplement. London: Smith, Elder & Co. pp. 89–90.
External links
- Hansard 1803–2005: contributions in Parliament by John Balfour
- Leigh Rayment's Historical List of MPs – Constituencies beginning with "C" (part 4)
| Parliament of the United Kingdom | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Sir William Patrick Adam |
Member of Parliament for Clackmannan and Kinross 1880–1899 |
Succeeded by Eugene Wason |
| Legal offices | ||
| Preceded by John Macdonald |
Solicitor General for Scotland 1880–1881 |
Succeeded by Alexander Asher |
| Preceded by John McLaren |
Lord Advocate 1881–1885 |
Succeeded by John Macdonald |
| Preceded by John Macdonald |
Lord Advocate 1886 |
Succeeded by John Macdonald |
| Preceded by Sir Charles John Pearson |
Lord Advocate 1892–1895 |
Succeeded by Sir Charles John Pearson |
| Preceded by James Robertson |
Lord Justice General 1899–1905 |
Succeeded by Andrew Graham Murray |
| Peerage of the United Kingdom | ||
| New creation | Baron Kinross 1902–1905 |
Succeeded by Patrick Balfour |