Sir Graham Balfour (2 December 1858 – 26 October 1929) was a noted

educationalist Education sciences, also known as education studies or education theory, and traditionally called ''pedagogy'', seek to describe, understand, and prescribe education including education policy. Subfields include comparative education, educationa ...

, author and son of Surgeon General Thomas Graham Balfour. He lived near his cousin,

Robert Louis Stevenson Robert Louis Stevenson (born Robert Lewis Balfour Stevenson; 13 November 1850 – 3 December 1894) was a Scottish novelist, essayist, poet and travel writer. He is best known for works such as ''Treasure Island'', ''Strange Case of Dr Jekyll ...

during the final years of Stevenson's life, and went on to write a biography of him. After writing a few books, he spent time on education administration, including managing the education system of

Staffordshire Staffordshire (; postal abbreviation ''Staffs''.) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the West Midlands (region), West Midlands of England. It borders Cheshire to the north-west, Derbyshire and Leicestershire to the east, ...

Biography

Balfour was born in

Chelsea, London Chelsea is an area in West London, England, due south-west of Kilometre zero#Great Britain, Charing Cross by approximately . It lies on the north bank of the River Thames and for postal purposes is part of the SW postcode area, south-western p ...

on 2 December 1858 and christened as Thomas Graham Balfour, only son of his parents. His father, also Thomas Graham Balfour, was a

Surgeon-General (United Kingdom) The title Surgeon General has been used for different purposes at different times in the United Kingdom. Initially it was the designation of a director of the Army's medical services. Subsequently it was a senior rank in the Army Medical Departmen ...

and his mother was Georgina Prentice of Armagh. Despite suffering ill health, Balfour attended

Marlborough College Marlborough College is a Public school (United Kingdom), public school (English private boarding school) for pupils aged 13 to 18 in Marlborough, Wiltshire, England. It was founded as Marlborough School in 1843 by the Dean of Manchester, George ...

and later,

Worcester College, Oxford Worcester College ( ) is a constituent college of the University of Oxford in England. The college was founded in 1714 by the benefaction of Sir Thomas Cookes, 2nd Baronet (1648–1701) of Norgrove, Worcestershire, whose coat of arms was ad ...

and in 1880 gained a degrees in

Classical Moderations Honour Moderations (or ''Mods'') are a set of examinations at the University of Oxford at the end of the first part of some degree courses (e.g., Greats or '' Literae Humaniores''). Honour Moderations candidates have a class awarded (hence the ...

and in 1882 literae humaniores. He was also won awards for his

rifle A rifle is a long gun, long-barreled firearm designed for accurate shooting and higher stopping power, with a gun barrel, barrel that has a helical or spiralling pattern of grooves (rifling) cut into the bore wall. In keeping with their focus o ...

shooting. He became an

Inner Temple The Honourable Society of the Inner Temple, commonly known as the Inner Temple, is one of the four Inns of Court and is a professional association for barristers and judges. To be called to the Bar and practice as a barrister in England and Wa ...

barrister in 1885. From May 1885 he resided with and tutored

Frank Russell, 2nd Earl Russell John Francis Stanley Russell, 2nd Earl Russell, known as Frank Russell (12 August 18653 March 1931), was a British nobleman, barrister and politician, the elder brother of the philosopher Bertrand Russell, and the grandson of John Russell, 1st ...

, after Russell's sending down from Oxford, accompanying him on a six-month tour of the US between Oct 1885 and May 1886. By 1891, after his parents had died, he moved to Vailima,

Samoa Samoa, officially the Independent State of Samoa and known until 1997 as Western Samoa, is an island country in Polynesia, part of Oceania, in the South Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main islands (Savai'i and Upolu), two smaller, inhabited ...

, to live near his cousin

. Stevenson died in 1894, so Balfour returned to England. He married Rhoda Brooke, daughter of Leonard Dobbin Brooke of Birkenhead in 1896 and the couple had two sons, one of whom was Michael Balfour. During the early 1900s, he was general director of education for

while the entire education system was being remodelled at central government. The system he put in place was used as an example for to the rest of the country. He was

knighted A knight is a person granted an honorary title of a knighthood by a head of state (including the pope) or representative for service to the monarch, the church, or the country, especially in a military capacity. The concept of a knighthood ...

in 1917, and served in a few government posts encouraging education. Balfour died on 26 October 1929.

Publications

Balfour contributed a chapter in Charles Booth's

Life and Labour of the People in London ''Life and Labour of the People in London'' was a multi-volume book by Charles Booth (social reformer), Charles Booth which provided a survey of the lives and occupations of the working class of late 19th-century London, 19th century London. Th ...

regarding life in Battersea 1891–1903. His 1898 publication ''Educational Systems of Great Britain and Ireland'' became a "standard work in its field".

Bibliography

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Legacy

Sir Graham Balfour School, Stafford and Sir Graham Balfour School, Cambodia are named after Balfour.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Balfour, Graham 1858 births 1929 deaths British educational theorists Graham Knights Bachelor People educated at Marlborough College Alumni of Worcester College, Oxford