
Arthur Balfour, 1st Baron Riverdale, (9 January 1873 – 7 July 1957), known as Sir Arthur Balfour (1923 -1929) and Sir Arthur Balfour, 1st Baronet (1929 - 1935), was a British
steel manufacturer.
Balfour was the son of Herbert Balfour. Educated at
Aysgarth School and
Oundle School
Oundle School is a public school (United Kingdom), public school (English Private schools in the United Kingdom, fee-charging boarding school, boarding and day school) for pupils 11–18 situated in the market town of Oundle in Northamptonshire ...
, he was Chairman of Arthur Balfour & Co Ltd and of C Meadows & Co Ltd, both of
Sheffield
Sheffield is a city in South Yorkshire, England, situated south of Leeds and east of Manchester. The city is the administrative centre of the City of Sheffield. It is historically part of the West Riding of Yorkshire and some of its so ...
,
Yorkshire
Yorkshire ( ) is an area of Northern England which was History of Yorkshire, historically a county. Despite no longer being used for administration, Yorkshire retains a strong regional identity. The county was named after its county town, the ...
. He also served as President of the Association of British Chambers of Commerce from 1923 to 1924 and of the
British Council
The British Council is a British organisation specialising in international cultural and educational opportunities. It works in over 100 countries: promoting a wider knowledge of the United Kingdom and the English language (and the Welsh lang ...
from 1947 to 1950 and as Chairman of the
Advisory Council for Scientific and Industrial Research from 1937 to 1957. He chaired the
Committee on Industry and Trade from 1924 to 1928.
In 1935 he was appointed as the chairman of the Departmental Committee on Fire Brigade Services, which became known as the Riverdale Committee. The committee's report resulted in the
Fire Brigades Act 1938 (
1 & 2 Geo. 6. c. 72).
Balfour married Frances Josephine Bingham, daughter of Charles Henry Bingham, in 1899. He died in July 1957, aged 84, and was succeeded in his titles by his eldest son Robert. Lady Riverdale died in 1960. He was a
freemason
Freemasonry (sometimes spelled Free-Masonry) consists of fraternal groups that trace their origins to the medieval guilds of stonemasons. Freemasonry is the oldest secular fraternity in the world and among the oldest still-existing organizati ...
and founding member of University Lodge Sheffield 3911.
Honours and styles
He was appointed a
Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding valuable service in a wide range of useful activities. It comprises five classes of awards across both civil and military divisions, the most senior two o ...
in 1923, created a
Baronet
A baronet ( or ; abbreviated Bart or Bt) or the female equivalent, a baronetess (, , or ; abbreviation Btss), is the holder of a baronetcy, a hereditary title awarded by the British Crown. The title of baronet is mentioned as early as the 14th ...
of Sheffield in the County of York in 1929, and raised to the peerage as Baron Riverdale, of Sheffield in the County of York, on 27 June 1935. On 11 June 1942 he was even further honoured when he was appointed a
Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the British Empire for services to the
Empire Air Training Scheme
The British Commonwealth Air Training Plan (BCATP), often referred to as simply "The Plan", was a large-scale multinational military aircrew training program created by the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia and New Zealand during the Second Wo ...
.
On 2 March 1943, he was made an honorary
air commodore
Air commodore (Air Cdre or Air Cmde) is an air officer rank used by some air forces, with origins from the Royal Air Force. The rank is also used by the air forces of many countries which have historical British influence and it is sometimes ...
of the
Auxiliary Air Force, serving in the
No. 601 Squadron RAF.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Riverdale, Balfour, Arthur, 1st Baron
People educated at Aysgarth School
1873 births
1957 deaths
301
__NOTOC__
Year 301 ( CCCI) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Postumius and Nepotianus (or, less frequently, year 1054 ''Ab urbe condita''). The denominatio ...
Barons in the Peerage of the United Kingdom
People educated at Oundle School
People educated at Ashville College
Knights Grand Cross of the Order of the British Empire
Arthur
Arthur is a masculine given name of uncertain etymology. Its popularity derives from it being the name of the legendary hero King Arthur.
A common spelling variant used in many Slavic, Romance, and Germanic languages is Artur. In Spanish and Ital ...
Master Cutlers
Barons created by George V