Edward Smith-Stanley, 14th Earl of Derby
A political survivor who led the Conservative Party for a record 22 years and served as Prime Minister three times during a turbulent Victorian era.
1799–1869 (age 70)·British statesman·Birthday: March 29
Biography
Edward Smith-Stanley, who would become the 14th Earl of Derby, entered Parliament as a Whig but found his true home with the Conservatives. His political life was a study in aristocratic endurance, navigating the seismic shifts of the 19th century, from the Corn Law Repeal to the expansion of the franchise. Though his three separate premierships were brief, his influence was lasting; he was the bridge between the old Toryism and the modern Conservative Party, which he led for an unmatched span. A scholar as well as a statesman, he translated Homer for pleasure and used his oratorical power, known as 'the roar of the Derby', to dominate the House of Lords. His legacy includes the establishment of a state-funded education system in Ireland, a significant step in social policy often overshadowed by his more famous protégé, Benjamin Disraeli, who served as his Chancellor.
#1 When Edward Was Born
The biggest hits of 1799
Edward's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1799Born
1804Started school
1812Became a teenager
1815Could drive
1817Could vote
1820Turned 21
1829Turned 30
1839Turned 40
1849Turned 50
1859Turned 60
1869Turned 70
President: Ulysses S. Grant
Key Achievements
- Served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom on three separate occasions in the 1850s and 60s.
- Led the Conservative Party for 22 years, the longest tenure in its history.
- As Colonial Secretary, oversaw the abolition of slavery in the British Empire in 1833.
- Introduced the government-sponsored education system in Ireland through the Irish Education Act of 1831.
Did You Know?
He is one of only four British Prime Ministers to have served three separate terms.
He was offered the throne of Greece in 1862 but declined.
He was a noted classical scholar and published a translation of Homer's *Iliad* in blank verse.
His father, the 13th Earl, was also a prominent politician and famously owned the horse that founded the Derby race.
“The duty of an opposition is to oppose.”
