William Ewart Gladstone

prime minister of United Kingdom

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Michael Richard Daniell Foot

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Britannica Editors

Last updated

Oct. 17, 2026 •History

William Ewart Gladstone (born December 29, 1809, Liverpool, England—died May 19, 1898, Hawarden, Flintshire, Wales) was a statesman and four-time prime minister of Great Britain (1868–74, 1880–85, 1886, 1892–94). Gladstone was of purely Scottish descent. His father, John, made himself a merchant prince and was a member of Parliament (1818–27). Gladstone was sent to Eton, where he did not particularly distinguish himself. At Christ Church, Oxford, in 1831 he secured first classes in classics and...