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If it can be said of any man of the twentieth century, Arthur James Balfour, was born and groomed to be prime minister. Born in the Scottish borders in 1848, he was the son of wealthy and well- connected gentry family; his mother was a Cecil and sister of the great Lord Salisbury-three times prime minister and Arthur's adoring uncle. After Eton and Cambridge, Balfour entered parliament almost by right for a Cecil family seat; and, as his uncle rose to the top of the Conservative party, Balfour rose with Him. His first important test came during his years as Irish Secretary, following the failure of Gladstone's first Home Rule bill. He tamed a restive and violent island and battled nightly in the House of Commons against the Irish parliamentary party led by the formidable Charles Stewart Parnell. The leadership of the Commons followed, and, in due course on Salisbury's retirement, the premiership-an unhappy time, burdened by an exhausted party and a divisive battle over tariff policy. A long and unhappy time as leader of the opposition followed, and then a final chance act as foreign secretary in the wartime coalition of Lloyd George. He remained in one office or another through most of the years that followed, until age forced him into retirement shortly before his death in 1930.
Balfour was fortunate to live in a time when politicians could lead many lives, and Balfour did. He published widely in the demanding discipline of philosophy, producing several studies of ethics and religion, at least one of which remains in print after a century. He led, as their 'adored gazelle', the fascinating social set called the Souls which included George Curzon, the future Margot Asquith and the brilliant 'Ettie' Desborough. An understanding of his complex social life and many friendships dispels the resilient myth that Balfour was cold and without feeling-with a smile like 'moonlight on a tombstone,' as one wag put it. His long and loving relationship with Mary Elcho, later Countess of Wemyss, reveals much to the reader.
Balfour enjoys the curious distinction of being a man whose one ministry failed but whose political career thereafter solidified a reputation of successful statecraft-and his name lives on in the Balfour 'definition' of the post-imperial British Commonwealth and, of course, in the still controversial 'Balfour Declaration.' Combined with the fascinating story of his life outside of politics-as amateur musicologist and conductor, intrepid bicyclist and pioneer motorist, public intellectual, as well as social lion- it was in all a life of extraordinary fullness and with few equals.
book reviews
- Contemporary Review
“…a sympathetic, well-researched and balanced life of a man born out of his time.” - Ferdinand Mount, London Review of Books
“...a worthy companion piece to Leo McKinstry’s Rosebery, just as readable and equally surefooted on the politics ...in its lucid, generous and unobtrusive fashion, it offers readers everything they need to form a judgment on this baffling character.” - Frontline
“RJQ Adams’ superb biography of Balfour must be read not only by students of West Asia but also by students of constitutional law and practice. It does full justice to his remarkable subject.” - Guardian
“The political biography of the year was RJQ Adams’s Balfour: The Last Grandee which skilfully sets this most purely intellectual of prime ministers...in the context of a vital transitional stage in British life” - Good Book Guide
“Balfour’s life and work have intrigued many historians, and this book adds its valuable contribution to the efforts made to learn more about his enigmatic character and actions. A delightful biography...” - Philip Ziegler, Spectator
“Adams is one of those disconcerting Americans who know as much about British history as any Briton. He writes with grace, intelligence and concision. Max Egremont’s biography of 1980 is unbeatable as providing the insider’s picture of Balfour; this excellent book presents the external view.” - Sunday Times
“Adams is an American historian with a remarkable knowledge and understanding of Victorian and Edwardian politics. …he skillfully interweaves his subject’s life with the politics of his age to produce a stylish and readable book.” - Literary Review
“Adams chronicles the triumphs and disasters of a half-century of politics with an easy style and well-researched surefootedness.”
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