John Patrick Douglas Balfour, 3rd Baron Kinross (25 June 1904 – 4 June 1976) was a Scottish historian and writer noted for his biography of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk and other works on Islamic history.

Early life

Balfour was born on 25 June 1904. He was the eldest son of

Patrick Balfour, 2nd Baron Kinross Patrick Balfour, 2nd Baron Kinross KC (23 April 1870 – 28 July 1939) was a Scottish peer and advocate. Early life Balfour was born on 23 April 1870. He was the eldest son and only child of John Balfour, 1st Baron Kinross and the former Lilias ...

and Caroline Elsie Johnstone-Douglas (1879–1969). His paternal grandparents were the

Lord Justice General Lord is an appellation for a person or deity who has authority, control, or power over others, acting as a master, chief, or ruler. The appellation can also denote certain persons who hold a title of the peerage in the United Kingdom, or are ...

John Balfour, 1st Baron Kinross John Blair Balfour, 1st Baron Kinross (11 July 1837 – 22 January 1905) was a Scottish lawyer and Liberal politician who sat in the House of Commons from 1880 to 1899. Early life Balfour was born in the manse at Clackmannan, the son of Rev. P ...

and, his first wife, Lilias Oswald Mackenzie (a daughter of Donald Mackenzie, Lord Mackenzie). His maternal grandparents were Jane Maitland Hathorn-Stewart and

Arthur Johnstone-Douglas Arthur Henry Johnstone-Douglas JP DL (23 June 1846 – 26 March 1923) was a Scottish soldier and politician. Early life Johnstone-Douglas was born on 23 June 1846 into Clan Douglas. He was the son of Robert Johnstone-Douglas of Lockerbie (1814� ...

, an member of the extended

Marquess of Queensberry Marquess of Queensberry is a title in the Peerage of Scotland. The title has been held since its creation in 1682 by a member of the Douglas family. The Marquesses also held the title of Duke of Queensberry from 1684 to 1810, when it was in ...

family. He was educated at

Winchester College Winchester College is a public school (fee-charging independent day and boarding school) in Winchester, Hampshire, England. It was founded by William of Wykeham in 1382 and has existed in its present location ever since. It is the oldest of ...

and Balliol College, Oxford, where he was a member of the Railway Club. He then became a journalist and writer.

Career

A prominent historian, Lord Kinross was a writer noted for his biography of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk and other works on Islamic history. During the Second World War he served with the Royal Air Force and from 1944 to 1947 was First Secretary at the British Embassy at Cairo.

Personal life

In 1938, he married Angela Mary Culme-Seymour (1912–2012), daughter of George Culme-Seymour and Janet (née Orr-Ewing) and former wife of the artist John Spencer-Churchill. Having been separated by World War II when Balfour was posted to Cairo, she started a five-year relationship with Major Robert Hewer-Hewitt by whom she had two sons, Mark and Johnny. Patrick and Angela were divorced in 1942.The Daily Telegraph: Angela Culme-Seymour
3 February 2012. Despite the brief marriage, Lord Kinross was homosexual; he had no issue and was succeeded by his brother

David Andrew Balfour, 4th Baron Kinross David (; , "beloved one") (traditional spelling), , ''Dāwūd''; grc-koi, Δαυΐδ, Dauíd; la, Davidus, David; gez , ዳዊት, ''Dawit''; xcl, Դաւիթ, ''Dawitʿ''; cu, Давíдъ, ''Davidŭ''; possibly meaning "beloved one". w ...

. He is buried in "Lords Row" in Dean Cemetery, Edinburgh with all previous ancestors of the title

Baron Kinross Baron Kinross, of Glasclune in the County of Haddington, is a title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. It was created on 15 July 1902 for Scottish lawyer John Balfour, Liberal politician and Lord President of the Court of Session. His gran ...

In popular culture

In 1974 John Betjeman wrote the poem ''For Patrick: aetat LXX'' published in his ''A Nip in the Air'', with a footnote giving Balfour's name and title.

Books

*''Society Racket. A Critical Survey of Modern Social Life'' (1933) *''The Ruthless Innocent'' (1949) Supposedly based on the character of Angela Culme-Seymour *''The Orphaned Realm: Journeys in Cyprus'' (1951) *''Within the Taurus: A Journey in Asiatic Turkey'' (1954) *''Portrait of Greece with photographs in colour by Dimitri, Max Parrish: London (1956) *''Europa Minor: Journeys in Coastal Turkey'' (1956) *''The Kindred Spirit; a history of gin and of the House of Booth'' (London, 1959) *''The Innocents at Home

n account of the author's travels in the United States of America N, or n, is the fourteenth letter in the Latin alphabet, used in the modern English alphabet, the alphabets of other western European languages and others worldwide. Its name in English is ''en'' (pronounced ), plural ''ens''. History ...

' (1959) *''Atatürk: The Rebirth of a Nation'' (London. 1964) *''Atatürk: A Biography of Mustafa Kemal, Father of Modern Turkey'' (New York. 1965) *''Portrait of Egypt'' (1966) *''The Windsor Years: The Life of Edward, as Prince of Wales, King, and Duke of Windsor'' (1967) *''Between Two Seas: The Creation of the Suez Canal'' (1968) *''Ottoman Centuries: The Rise and Fall of the Turkish Empire'' (1977) *''Hagia Sophia :A History of Constantinople'' (1979) Newsweek Book Division

References

External links

National Portrait Gallery
NPG.org.uk. Accessed 30 November 2022.

ThePeerage.com. Accessed 30 November 2022. {{DEFAULTSORT:Kinross, Patrick Balfour, 3rd Baron Balfour, John Patrick Balfour, John Patrick Barons in the Peerage of the United Kingdom Balfour, John Patrick Balfour, John Patrick British gay writers LGBT peers LGBT writers from Scotland People educated at Winchester College Alumni of Balliol College, Oxford Royal Air Force personnel of World War II British diplomats 20th-century British historians Scottish biographers British Islamic studies scholars Historians of the Ottoman Empire British travel writers Kinross, Patrick, 3rd Baron Burials at the Dean Cemetery 20th-century LGBT people