Sir Robert Balfour, 1st Baronet

Robert Balfour MP, circa 1900

Sir Robert Balfour, 1st Baronet (6 March 1844 – 4 November 1929) was a Scottish Liberal Party politician who sat in the House of Commons of the United Kingdom from 1906 to 1922. He was the member of parliament for Partick from 1906 to 1918, and for or Glasgow Partick from 1918 to 1922.

Background

He was born in Pilmuir, Largo, Fife in 1844, a son of James Balfour. He was educated at Madras College in St Andrews. He married Josephine Maria Beazley of Liverpool. They had two sons.

Business career

In 1863 he joined the merchant firm Balfour, Williamson & Co. From 1869 to 1893, he was stationed in San Francisco. From 1893 to 1899 he was based in Liverpool and then in London from 1899.

Political career

In 1906, Balfour was elected as a Member of Parliament in Glasgow. At the following General Election in 1918, he supported the Coalition government of Lloyd George, and was awarded the 'coupon'; He retired from Parliament just before the 1922 UK general election.

He was created a Baronet on 3 February 1911. The baronetcy became extinct upon his death in 1929.

Electoral history

General election 1906: Partick

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal	Robert Balfour	9,477	54.3	+14.3
	Conservative	Rt Hon. James Parker Smith	7,960	45.7	−14.3
	Liberal gain from Liberal Unionist		Swing	14.3

General election Jan 1910: Partick

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal	Robert Balfour	10,093	51.5	−2.8
	Liberal Unionist	Archibald White Maconochie	9,522	48.5	+2.8
	Liberal hold		Swing	-2.8

General election Dec 1910: Partick

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal	Robert Balfour	10,535	50.8	−0.7
	Liberal Unionist	Archibald White Maconochie	10,190	49.2	+0.7
	Liberal hold		Swing	-0.7

General election 1918: Partick

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal	Sir Robert Balfour	12,156	70.1	+19.2
	Labour	William Mackie	5,173	29.9	+29.9
	Liberal hold		Swing	-5.4

References

• "Glasgow Digital Library". gdl.cdlr.strath.ac.uk.
• "Who's Who". ukwhoswho.

Further reading

• Craig, F. W. S. (1989) [1974]. British parliamentary election results 1885–1918 (2nd ed.). Chichester: Parliamentary Research Services. p. 550. ISBN 0-900178-27-2.
• Leigh Rayment's list of baronets
• Leigh Rayment's Historical List of MPs