Frances Balfour facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Lady Frances Balfour
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| Born |
Frances Campbell
22 February 1858 London, UK
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| Died | 25 February 1931 (aged 73) London, UK
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| Nationality | British |
| Known for | women's rights activism |
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| Spouse(s) | Eustace Balfour (d. 1911) |
| Children | 5 |
| Parent(s) | George Campbell, 8th Duke of Argyll Lady Elizabeth Sutherland-Leveson-Gower |
Lady Frances Balfour (born Frances Campbell; 22 February 1858 – 25 February 1931) was an important British woman. She was a member of a noble family and a leader in the fight for women's right to vote.
She was one of the highest-ranking women from a noble family to take a leading role in the women's suffrage movement in the United Kingdom. Lady Frances was part of the main committee for the National Society for Women's Suffrage from 1896 to 1919. She believed in peaceful protests and did not agree with the more forceful actions of another group called the Women's Social and Political Union, whose members were known as the suffragettes.
Her Life Story
Lady Frances Campbell was born in Kensington, London, on 22 February 1858. She was the tenth child of George Campbell, 8th Duke of Argyll, a Scottish noble and politician, and his wife, Lady Elizabeth Sutherland-Leveson-Gower.
From a young age, Lady Frances had a problem with her hip. This caused her constant pain and made her walk with a limp. Her parents were very religious and worked on many projects to improve society. As a child, she helped with these efforts. For example, she knitted clothes for children whose parents had been enslaved. This was after slavery was officially banned in British areas in 1833.
In 1879, she married Eustace Balfour, an architect from Scotland who lived in London. Eustace's uncle, Lord Salisbury, was Britain's prime minister three times. Eustace's older brother, Arthur Balfour, also became a British prime minister.
However, Lady Frances had different political views from her husband's family. She and her parents supported the Liberal politician William Ewart Gladstone. Lady Frances and Eustace Balfour never fully agreed on politics. Because of these differences, they spent less and less time together.
Fighting for Women's Votes
Lady Frances Balfour was the only person from a noble family and the only Scot to be a leader in the British women's suffrage movement. She started working for women's right to vote in 1889. She became the main link between the peaceful campaigners and the British Parliament.
In 1897, she joined the main committee of the new National Union of Women's Suffrage Societies (NUWSS). Millicent Fawcett was the president of this group. Lady Frances served on this committee until some women gained the right to vote in 1918. She was also the president of the London Society of Women's Suffrage, which was the biggest suffrage group in Britain, from 1896 to 1919.
She also led the Lyceum Club, which helped professional women, from 1903 to 1915. After her work for women's votes was almost done, Frances joined the National Council of Women of Great Britain in 1917. She served as its president from 1921 to 1923.
Lady Frances wrote six books, including her life story called Ne Obliscaris (Dinna Forget). She also helped edit a magazine called Women and Progress with Nora Vynne. This magazine worked to achieve equal rights for men and women. They believed it was fair for younger women to be excluded from voting, as long as young men were also excluded. The magazine seemed like it would be successful, but it had to close in June 1914 because it ran out of money. Today, the magazine is a good source of early suffragette history.
The Lyceum Club
A writer named Constance Smedley wanted to start a new kind of club for women. Another person, Jessie Trimble, suggested calling the new club the Lyceum Club. The club's committee decided to invite not only writers but also professional women, and even the daughters or wives of important men. Lady Frances Balfour agreed to lead this new club and was its chair for 15 years.
Her Death
Lady Frances Balfour passed away in London on 25 February 1931. She died from a lung infection and heart problems. She was buried at Whittingehame, which was the Balfour family home in East Lothian, Scotland.
Awards and Recognition
- She received special honorary degrees from the University of Durham (DLitt 1919) and from the University of Edinburgh (LLD 1921).
- Her name and picture are on the base of the statue of Millicent Fawcett in Parliament Square, London. This statue was revealed in 2018 and honors 58 women who supported women's right to vote.
