James Balfour (engineer)
| James Balfour | |
|---|---|
| Born | 2 June 1831 Colinton near Edinburgh, Scotland |
| Died | 19 December 1869 (aged 38) Timaru Harbour |
| Nationality | Scottish |
| Spouse(s) | Christina Simson |
| Relatives |
James Balfour (great-grandfather) Robert Whytt (great-grandfather) George William Balfour (brother) |
| Engineering career | |
| Employer(s) | Otago Province |
| Projects | Dog Island Lighthouse |
James Melville Balfour (2 June 1831 – 19 December 1869) was a Scottish-born New Zealand marine engineer. He is best remembered for the network of lighthouses that he designed. Balfour was a highly energetic man, who despite drowning after only six years in the country, has left an impressive list of projects either designed or constructed by him. He was initially employed by the Otago Provincial Council before his appointment by the Government of New Zealand as the colonial marine engineer.
Balfour was born in the manse of Colinton near Edinburgh, Scotland on 2 June 1831. He was the youngest son of Rev. Lewis Balfour (1774–1860), D.D., who for 37 years was minister for the Colinton parish. The philosopher James Balfour was his father's paternal grandfather, and the physician Robert Whytt was his father's maternal grandfather. His father had married Anne Mackintosh on 24 February 1806. Among his siblings were the physician and heart specialist George William Balfour (1823–1903), and Margaret Isabella "Maggie" Balfour (1829–1897) who in 1848 married the lighthouse builder Thomas Stevenson.
He received his education at Edinburgh High School and the University of Edinburgh. He studied civil engineering and for his training, he attended workshops in Scotland and, to study optics, in Germany. He did an apprenticeship with famous lighthouse builders, the brothers Thomas and David Stephenson, David being his sister's husband, and he worked in the lighthouse department of the firm.
Balfour married Christina Simson and their only child, Marie Clothilde Balfour, was born in 1862. She married her first cousin James Craig Balfour, the son of Balfour's brother George.
The Balfour family arrived in Port Chalmers on board the Sir Ralph Abercromby on 14 September 1863. Both Balfour and his friend and colleague, Thomas Paterson, had accepted appointments by the Otago Provincial Council for engineering positions. Balfour came as a marine engineer, while Paterson was a bridge, railway and road engineer. Paterson was half a year older than Balfour, and they had attended the same school in Edinburgh. Balfour brought with him from Scotland the lamp equipment he had designed for the proposed lighthouses at Cape Saunders and Taiaroa Head.
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