John Balfour (politician)

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John Balfour (born November 6, 1750 - October 15, 1842 ) was a Scottish politician .

Life

John Balfour was born on November 6, 1750, the eldest son of William Balfour and his wife Elizabeth . Between 1766 and 1770 Balfour studied at the University of Aberdeen . Two years later he joined the East India Company and worked for them until 1795. He started as a judicial officer and coroner and then successfully continued his career in the commercial field. In November 1783, Balfour married Henrietta Sullivan in Madras .

I paid off my job with the East India Company financially for Balfour and he was able to build up a considerable fortune. On the native Orkney Islands he was a laird and helped prepare the building of the family home Balfour Castle . Around 1804 Balfour moved to England . He lived near London or in the city itself. John Balfour died on October 15, 1842.

Political career

In the general election in 1790, Balfour ran for the constituency of Orkney and Shetland . With 19 to 13 votes he prevailed against the incumbent candidate Thomas Dundas and subsequently moved into the British House of Commons for the first time . Together with the Honyman and Laing families, Thomas Dundas submitted a petition to cancel the election result, which was ultimately rejected as unfounded. Due to the tense situation as a result of the struggle for supremacy in the Orkney Islands between the above families, Balfour announced that he would not run for any further term in the general election in 1796. He was succeeded by Robert Honyman .

A second time, John Balfour represented the constituency of Orkney and Shetland between 1820 and 1826. In the elections he sat with 19 to 14 votes against Richard Bempdé Johnstone Honyman and inherited in the House of Commons George Heneage Lawrence Dundas , who had held the mandate since 1818. In the 1826 elections, Balfour did not run and the mandate went again to his predecessor George Dundas.

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b c Information on John Balfour
  2. ↑ Listed Building - Entry . In: Historic Scotland .
  3. ↑ Information on Orkney and Shetland constituency
  4. ↑ Information on Orkney and Shetland constituency
personal data
SURNAME Balfour, John
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Scottish politician, member of the House of Commons
DATE OF BIRTH November 6, 1750
DATE OF DEATH October 15, 1842