William Ewart Gladstone began his political career in the British Parliament as a Tory Member of Parliament (MP) for Newark in 1832, at the age of 23. He had ultra-conservative views at that point, speaking against the abolition of slavery and against electoral reform.

As a gifted public speaker, he caught the attention of Prime Minister Robert Peel, who gave him the role first as a junior Lord of the Treasury and then Under-Secretary at the Colonial Office. In 1846, Gladstone followed Peel in becoming a Liberal-Conservative, interesting himself in free trade. He lost his Newark seat but in 1847 became MP for Oxford University.

In 1858 Gladstone became Chancellor of the Exchequer after refusing an appointment in the Conservative government that would have meant working with Benjamin Disraeli. In 1867 Gladstone became the leader of the Liberal party upon Lord Palmerston's resignation, and in 1868 became Prime Minister. He would serve as Prime Minister 4 times in total. In the later years of his career, his political focuses included strengthening individual franchise and giving Ireland Home Rule, though he was unsuccessful in this latter endeavor.

[Information retrieved from Gov.uk, https://www.gov.uk/government/history/past-prime-ministers/william-ewart-gladstone.]