Sir John Balfour
GCMG
The Most Distinguished Order of Saint Michael and Saint George is a British order of chivalry founded on 28 April 1818 by George IV, Prince of Wales, while he was acting as prince regent for his father, King George III.
It is named in honour ...
,
GBE (1894–1983) was a British diplomat.
Family
Sir John was the son of
the Conservative politician Charles Balfour, and the maternal grandson of the 5th
Earl of Antrim
Earl of Antrim is a title that has been created twice, both times in the Peerage of Ireland and both times for members of the MacDonnell family, originally of Scottish origins.
History
The MacDonells of Antrim descended from Sorley Boy MacDo ...
. In 1933, he married Frances van Millingen, daughter of Professor Alexander van Millingen of Robert College, Constantinople, although their marriage remained childless.
World War 1
Balfour was an
Oxford
Oxford () is a city in England. It is the county town and only city of Oxfordshire. In 2020, its population was estimated at 151,584. It is north-west of London, south-east of Birmingham and north-east of Bristol. The city is home to the ...
student studying German in the city of
Freiberg
Freiberg is a university and former mining town in Saxony, Germany. It is a so-called ''Große Kreisstadt'' (large county town) and the administrative centre of Mittelsachsen district.
Its historic town centre has been placed under heritage c ...
when World War I began. He spent the entire war in
Ruhleben internment camp
Ruhleben internment camp was a civilian detention camp in Germany during World War I. It was located in Ruhleben, a former ''Vorwerk'' manor to the west of Berlin, now split between the districts of Spandau and Charlottenburg-Wilmersdorf. The ...
.
Diplomatic career
During his service with the
Foreign Office, Balfour was posted to Portugal, Spain (1951–1954),
[Richard Ford. A hand-book for travellers in Spain and readers at home. University of California, 1966. Page xi] Argentina, Moscow, and Washington DC.
[Jill Edwards. Anglo-American relations and the Franco question, 1945-1955. . Page 174] A hispanophile, Balfour was an ardent opponent of
Francisco Franco's
regime
In politics, a regime (also "régime") is the form of government or the set of rules, cultural or social norms, etc. that regulate the operation of a government or institution and its interactions with society. According to Yale professor Juan Jo ...
.
[
In 1983, Balfour published his memoirs, ''Not Too Correct an Aureole: Recollections of a Diplomat.''
]
References
1894 births
1983 deaths
Ambassadors of the United Kingdom to Spain
Knights Grand Cross of the Order of St Michael and St George
Knights Grand Cross of the Order of the British Empire
John, diplomat
{{UK-diplomat-stub