William Gladstone

William Ewart Gladstone (29 December 1809 – 19 May 1898) was a British Liberal Party statesman and Prime Minister (1868–74, 1880–85, 1886 and 1892–94).

Gladstone is famous for his intense rivalry with Benjamin Disraeli, who rose to become Conservative Leader. The rivalry was not only political, but also personal. When Disraeli died, Gladstone proposed a state funeral, but Disraeli's will asked for him to be buried next to his wife, prompting a cyncial Gladstone, who thought it was all mock modesty, to say- "As he (Disraeli) lived, so he died — all display, without reality or genuineness." Disraeli, for his part, said that GOM (which stood for Grand Old Man, Gladstone's nickname), really stood for "God's Only Mistake". They have recently been compared to the Lion and the Unicorn- Gladstone the fervent, righteous, thundering moral crusader, and Disraeli the witty, smooth, glamourous dandy.

The English statesman was famously at odds with Queen Victoria for much of his career. She once complained "He always addresses me as if I were a public meeting." Gladstone was known affectionately by his supporters as the "Grand Old Man" or "The People's William". He is still regarded as one of the greatest British prime ministers, with Winston Churchill and others citing Gladstone as their inspiration.