BALFOUR, ARTHUR JAMES, a British statesman, born in Scotland, July 25, 1848; educated at Eton and at Trin ity College, Cambridge; entered Parlia ment in 1874; was private secretary to his uncle, the Marquis of Salisbury, in 1878-1880, and accompanied him to the Berlin Congress; President of the Local Government Board in 1885; Secretary for Scotland in 1886; Chief Secretary for Ireland in 1887-1891; member of the Gold and Silver Commission in 1887 1888; First Lord of the Treasury in 1891-1892; became the leader of the Con servative opposition in the House of Commons in 1892. He was Prime Min ister 1902-1905. He carried through the Education Act (1902) and the Irish Land Act (1904), and created the Committee of National Defense. Chamberlain's res ignation as Colonial Secretary was fol lowed by his campaign for Colonial pref erence and a protective tariff and led to the defeat of the Unionists in 1906. Bal
four lost his seat for East Manchester, but was immediately returned from Lon don. In 1911 Balfour resigned to Bonar Law leadership of the opposition. In 1915 he joined Asquith's coalition cabi net as First Lord of the Admiralty, and was Minister of Foreign Affairs, 1916 1919. In 1917 he visited the United States as a member of the British Com mission. He was one of the British rep resentatives at the Peace Congress of Versailles. In October, 1919, he was made Lord President of the Council. His pub lications include "A Defense of Philo sophic Doubt" (1879) ; "Essays and Ad dresses" (1893) ; "The Foundations of Belief" (1895) ; "Insular Trade" (1903) ; "Criticism and Beauty" (1909) ; "Theism and Humanism" (1915).