Gerald Balfour, 4th Earl of Balfour

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Gerald Arthur James Balfour, 4th Earl of Balfour (born December 23, 1925 in Haddington , † June 27, 2003 in Haddington), from 1945 to 1968 with the courtesy title Viscount Traprain , was a Scottish peer and politician of the Conservative Party .

life and career

Balfour was born on December 23, 1925 to Robert Balfour, 3rd Earl of Balfour and Jean Lily West Roundel Cooke-Yarborough. He attended Eton College .

As a member of the merchant navy , he took part in the Second World War. As a Master Mariner , he initially served on the HMS Conway . From 1960 to 1974 he was County Councilor for East Lothian , where he was also active in agriculture and where the family seat was.

Balfour was president of the Cape Horners . In the late 1960s he was chairman ( Chairman ) of a Scottish mineral water company. In June 1969 he became chairman of the steel wire manufacturer Bruntons , but resigned after just 8 months.

He also spoke to the Daily Telegraph through letters to the editor . In the 1970s he criticized the housing policy of the Harold Wilson administration .

Membership in the House of Lords

After the death of his father in November 1968, he inherited his title and the then associated seat in the House of Lords .

  • 1997/1998 session: 118 days (out of 228)

As a dyslexic , he often had to consult a dictionary and found spelling mistakes in bills. On one occasion he raised 53 objections, mainly due to typing and spelling errors. 50 of these were accepted and the draft withdrawn.

He spoke about soil erosion in the Middle East and called on the government to use Israeli politicians to fight it.

During one of his recent debates, he said that it was not for the Lords to object to Scottish devolution as it was voted for. However, the bill needs improvements.

He lost his seat with the House of Lords Act 1999 .

family

Balfour married Natasha Georgina Anton († 1994) on December 14, 1956, the daughter of Captain George Anton. They didn't have any children.

Balfour died in June 2003 at the age of 77 after a long illness. His title inherited from his distant cousin Roderick Balfour, 5th Earl of Balfour .

literature

  • Peter W. Hammond, Editor: The Complete Peerage or a History of the House of Lords and All its Members From the Earliest Times , Volume XIV: Addenda & Corrigenda (Stroud, Gloucestershire, UK: Sutton Publishing, 1998), 692
  • Announcements, The Daily Telegraph, London, UK, June 30, 2003
  • Charles Mosley, editor: Burke's Peerage and Baronetage, 106th edition , 2 volumes (Crans, Switzerland: Burke's Peerage (Genealogical Books) Ltd, 1999), Volume 1, page 172

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b c d e f g h Gerald Arthur James Balfour, 4th Earl of Balfour on thepeerage.com , accessed August 20, 2015.
  2. ↑ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n The Earl of Balfour Obituary of the Telegraph of July 5, 2003
predecessor Office successor
Robert Balfour Earl of Balfour
1968-2003 		Roderick Balfour
personal data
SURNAME Balfour, Gerald, 4th Earl of Balfour
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Balfour, Gerald Arthur James, 4th Earl of Balfour (full name)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Scottish peer and politician (Conservative Party)
DATE OF BIRTH December 23, 1925
PLACE OF BIRTH Haddington
DATE OF DEATH June 27, 2003
Place of death Haddington