| Gladstone, William Ewart 1809-1898. British political leader who served as Liberal prime minister four times (1868-1874, 1880-1885, 1886, and 1892-1894). He enacted educational and parliamentary reforms and supported Irish home rule. |
An English political leader and author of the nineteenth century. A leader of the Liberal party and a political opponent of Benjamin Disraeli, he served as prime minister several times during the reign of Queen Victoria. One of Gladstone's strongest interests, not satisfied in his lifetime, was providing Ireland with a government of its own. He served in the British parliament for sixty years.