Champion of the colonial ideal

Hi

What does the part "champion of the colonial ideal" mean? I think it means that Curzon was able to achieve colonial aim (whatever it was).

Curzon (1859-1925) was a British statesman and champion of the colonial ideal. A member of the minor aristocracy, he was known for his intelligence as well as his ego. Viceroy of India when the Indian famine claimed up to 9 million lives, he instituted a number of reforms before eventually resigning in 1905 over a spat with a field marshal. He then served as chancellor of Oxford and became foreign secretary in 1919.

Regards
Jackson