George
Curzon, the eldest son of Baron Curzon, was born on 11th January,
1859. A brilliant student, at Eton College
he won a record number of academic prizes before entering
Oxford
University
in 1878. He was elected president of the Oxford Union in 1880 and
although he failed to achieve a first he was made a fellow of All
Souls College in 1883.
A member of the Conservative Party,
Curzon was elected MP for Southport in 1886. It was a safe Tory seat
and Curzon neglected his parliamentary duties to travel the world.
This material provided the material for Russia
in Central Asia (1889), Persia
and the Persian Question (1892) and Problems
of the Far East (1894).
In November, 1891, Marquis
of Salisbury appointed Curzon as his secretary of state
for India. Curzon lost office when Earl
of Rosebery formed a Liberal Government
in 1894.
After the 1895 General Election, the Conservative
Party regained power and Curzon was rewarded with the post of
under secretary for foreign affairs. Three years later the Marquis
of Salisbury granted him the title, Baron Curzon of Kedleston,
and appointed him Viceroy of India.
Curzon introduced a series of reforms that upset his civil servants.
He also clashed with Lord Kitchener,
who became commander-in-chief of the Indian
Army, in 1902. Arthur
Balfour, the new leader of the Conservative
Party, began to have doubts about Curzon and in 1905 he was forced
out of office.
Curzon returned to England where he led the campaign against women's
suffrage in the House of Lords. In 1908
he helped establish the Anti-Suffrage League
and eventually became its president.
In 1916 the new prime minister, David
Lloyd George, invited Curzon into his War Cabinet. Curzon served
as leader of the House
of Lords but refused to support the government's
decision to introduce the 1918
Qualification of Women Act. Despite Curzon's objections, it was
passed by the Lords by 134 votes to 71.
Curzon was appointed foreign secretary in 1919 and
when Andrew
Bonar Law resigned as prime minister in May, 1923, Curzon was
expected to become the new prime minister. However, the post went
to Stanley Baldwin instead. He continued
as foreign secretary until retiring from politics in 1924. George
Curzon died on 20th March, 1925.
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