Balfour

Arthur James Balfour possessed intellect and charm in legendary abundance. On becoming Prime Minister in 1902, it seemed that he had come into his inheritance as a true grandee. He held office longer than any other Cabinet minister and, in a fifty-year career, dealt with successes and defeats with similar equanimity. When he chose, he retreated into the insulated worlds of family, friends and ideas, and in each he was the unquestioned centre.