William Ewart Gladstone (1809-1898)

• Gladstone: Four times British Prime Minister, grand old man of the liberal party, scholar, financier, theologian, orator, humanitarian, and thorn in the side of BenjaminDisraeli, who, when asked to define the difference between a misfortune and a calamity, replied, "If Mr. Gladstone were to fall into the Thames, it would be a misfortune. But if someone dragged him out, it would be a calamity." -- Anne Fadiman, Ex Libris: Confessions of a Common Reader, 140.

See Schoolnet for a biographical overview. See The Victorian Web for a better one, and a lot more besides.

-- ChrisLehrich^? - 30 Dec 2004