Balfour was the son of
James Balfour and his wife Lady Eleanor, daughter of
James Maitland, 8th Earl of Lauderdale. He was educated at
Eton College and
Trinity College, Cambridge. Balfour inherited his father's neo-classical mansion
Whittingehame House and his Highland estate in
Ross-shire, as well as a house in
Grosvenor Square, London. He also inherited his father's business skills, and became a director of the
North British Railway at the height of the
railway mania, which earned him a fortune. •
Francis Maitland Balfour (1851–1882), Professor of Animal Morphology at the
University of Cambridge •
Gerald William Balfour, 2nd Earl of Balfour (1853–1945), Conservative politician who served as
Chief Secretary for Ireland and
President of the Board of Trade • Colonel
Eustace James Anthony Balfour (1854–1911), an architect who served as
ADC to
King Edward VII. His wife
Lady Frances Balfour Balfour died of
tuberculosis on 23 February 1856 in
Funchal,
Madeira, aged 36. Lady Blanche Balfour died in 1872. ==References==