George Balfour

Who was George Balfour?

General Sir George Balfour KCB was British Army officer and a Liberal politician who sat in the House of Commons from 1872 to 1892.

Balfour was the son of the George Balfour, of Montrose. He was educated at the Addiscombe Military Seminary and became a lieutenant in the Madras Artillery in 1825. From 1832, he served with Malacca Field Force and was Staff Officer of Artillery with the Malacca Field Force from 1832 to 1833 when it was active in the capture of Chusan, Canton, and Amoy. He was adjutant of Artillery from 1833 to 1842, and A.A.G. from 1834 to 1835, He was with the Field Force in the ceded districts, and in action of Zorapore in 1839 when he became Brigade Major in India. From 1840 to 1842 he was in China with the China Force from 1840 to 1842, He was agent for captured property in China from 1841 to 1842 and receiver of public money paid by China under the Treaty of Nanking.

He arrived in Shanghai on November 8, 1843 aboard the streamer Medusa, and immediately began discussions with the ranking local Chinese official, the Taotai, on the opening of foreign trade and the site of a foreign settlement.