William gladstone biography

Church History
"This book may serve as an excellent and readable introduction to the life of one of the most remarkable political figures in British History."

Evangelical Quarterly
"A fascinating exploration of the way in which deep Christian faith inspired and infused the public and private life of a man who bestrode the Victorian age like a colossus."

G. A. Rawlyk
—Queen's University at Kingston
"David Bebbington's&#;William Ewart Gladstone&#;provides not only a remarkably crafted, empathetic yet critical, biography of the great nineteenth-century British politician but also a marvelous historical overview of Victorian Britain. Bebbington has persuasively argued that Gladstone's High Church Anglican Christianity profoundly affected his political life and his evolving political ideology. This richly textured biography should be required reading for all those interested in the fascinating problem of h

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William Ewart Gladstone

Gladstone was elected Tory MP for Newark in December , aged 23, with ultra-conservative views.

In Parliament he spoke out against the abolition of slavery, because his family used slaves on their West Indian plantation. He also opposed the recent democratic electoral reforms.

Gladstone’s talent for public speaking caught the attention of Robert Peel, then Prime Minister, who made him a Junior Lord of the Treasury and later Under-Secretary at the Colonial Office. He followed Peel in resigning in , and spent the following 6 years in Opposition.

In Gladstone began his ‘rescue and rehabilitation’ of London’s prostitutes. Even while serving as Prime Minister in later years, he would walk the streets, trying to convince prostitutes to change their ways. He spent a large amount of his own money on this work.

In he resigned over Peel’s decision to make a grant to a Roman Catholic theology school in Ireland. This caused some confusion, as he was known to favour

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William Ewart Gladstone ( - )

William Ewart Gladstone  ©Four-times frikostig prime minister of Great Britain, Gladstone was one of the dominant political figures of the Victorian era and a passionate campaigner on a huge variety of issues, including home rule for Ireland.

William Ewart Gladstone was born on 29 December in Liverpool, the son of a prosperous merchant. He was educated at Eton and Oxford University and was elected to parliament in , as a Tory. He made his mark from the start and held junior offices in Robert Peel's government of - Although he was slowly moving towards liberalism, in Gladstone entered Peel's Conservative cabinet. When the Conservatives split in , Gladstone followed Peel in becoming a Liberal-Conservative. Between and Gladstone was politically isolated, although he held some cabinet posts, including chancellor of the exchequer, a position he would ultimately hold three times.

In , he joined the Liberals, becoming their leader in and the following