Curzon of Kedleston, George Nathaniel Curzon, 1st Marquess definition of Curzon of Kedleston, George Nathaniel Curzon, 1st Marquess in the Free Online Encyclopedia.

Curzon of Kedleston, George Nathaniel Curzon, 1st Marquess (kûr`zən, kĕd`əlstən), 1859–1925, British statesman. A member of the minor aristocracy, he attended Eton and Oxford. From his university days onward, he earned a reputation for an unusually high intelligence mingled with an enormous ego, snobbery, and pomposity. Entering Parliament as a conservative in 1886, he showed early brilliance in politics and was undersecretary of state for India (1891–92) and undersecretary for foreign affairs (1895–98). Three trips to Asia resulted in several books—Russia in Central Asia (1889), Persia and the Persian Question (1892), and Problems of the Far East (1894). As viceroy of India (1898–1905) he championed the imperial colonial ideal, achieved important reforms in administration, transportation, education, and currency, and set up (1901) the North-West Frontier Province North-West Frontier Province, province and historic region (1998 pop. 17,554,674), c.41,000 sq mi (106,200 sq km), NW Pakistan, bounded on the N and W by Afghanistan. Peshawar is the capital.
..... Click the link for more information. . He also partitioned (1905) Bengal East Bengal, overwhelmingly Muslim in population, became East Pakistan in 1947 and the independent nation of Bangladesh in 1971.

West Bengal (2001 provisional pop.
..... Click the link for more information. , an action that angered Indian nationalists. He resigned (1905) after a quarrel with Lord Kitchener Kitchener, Horatio Herbert Kitchener, 1st Earl
..... Click the link for more information. , commander of the army in India, who was supported by the home government.

After his return to England, Curzon became (1907) chancellor of Oxford Univ. and was created (1911) an earl (raised to marquess in 1921). During World War I he served in the coalition cabinets of Asquith (see Oxford and Asquith, Herbert Henry Asquith, 1st earl of Margot (Tennant) Asquith, countess of Oxford and Asquith, 1864–1945, whom he married in 1894, was prominent in London society and noted for her wit. Her frank autobiography (1920–22) created a minor sensation.
..... Click the link for more information. ) and Lloyd George Lloyd George, David, 1st Earl Lloyd-George of Dwyfor
..... Click the link for more information. . As foreign secretary (1919–24), he presided over the Conference of Lausanne (see under Lausanne, Treaty of Lausanne, Treaty of, 1922–23. The peace treaty (see Sèvres, Treaty of ) imposed by the Allies on the Ottoman Empire after World War I had virtually destroyed Turkey as a national state.
..... Click the link for more information. ), disapproved of the French occupation of the Ruhr Ruhr (rr), region, c.
..... Click the link for more information. , and paved the way for the Dawes Plan Dawes Plan, presented in 1924 by the committee headed (1923–24) by Charles G. Dawes to the Reparations Commission of the Allied nations. It was accepted the same year by Germany and the Allies.
..... Click the link for more information. for settling German war reparations. He expected to succeed Andrew Bonar Law Law, Andrew Bonar (bŏn`ər), 1858–1923, British statesman, b. Canada.
..... Click the link for more information. as prime minister in 1923 and was bitterly disappointed at being passed over in favor of Stanley Baldwin Baldwin, Stanley, 1867–1947, British statesman; cousin of Rudyard Kipling. The son of a Worcestershire ironmaster, he was educated at Harrow and at Trinity College, Cambridge, and entered the family business.
..... Click the link for more information. .

Bibliography

See biographies by Lord Ronaldshay (1928), K. Rose (1969), and D. Gilmour (1994, U.S. ed. 2003); D. Dilks, Curzon in India (2 vol., 1969).