William Ewart Gladstone was one of the most extraordinary statesmen of the 19th century. He began his political career as a Conservative, sitting for a rotten borough; under the influence of Peel and following his experience as Chancellor of the Exchequer in the 1850s, he attached himself to the Whigs and became the spokesman for middle-class liberalism by the mid-1860s. He served as Liberal Prime Minister four times and presided over many important reforms in both domestic and foreign policy. His charitable but controversial work among prostitutes has failed to detract from the reputation of this great politican.