Benjamin Disraeli
Benjamin Disraeli dominated British politics for around 30 years in the 19th century. Even today, his name is well known in his native land and he is regarded as a true political heavyweight, responsible for reimagining party politics and the House of Westminster. However, though he is widely admired today, life didn’t always go so well for Disraeli. As a young man, he struggled financially and even personally. Even when he decided to go into politics, he had to endure a series of setbacks. But nevertheless, he persevered and ensured that his great comeback story had a happy ending.
Disraeli was born into a relatively wealthy family in London in 1804. Despite his Jewish heritage, he was baptised as a Christian, thereby allowing him to enter politics at a later date. After a costly private education, he went into law, but was a reckless and ambitious young man. Aged just 18, he decided to invest heavily in South American mines. The gamble paid off and he lost a lot of money. Worse, he was plunged into serious debt – so serious, in fact, that he wouldn’t pay it all off until he was a middle-aged man.
His financial ruin caused Disraeli to have a breakdown. For four years, his biographers note, he did almost nothing with his life. Even after this spell, he focused mainly on having a good time in literary London than on making the most of his obvious intellect. By 1830, he had resolved to move away from business and embark on a career in politics. But even this didn’t go smoothly. In fact, it was a disaster. Disraeli stood for election on four separate occasions in 1831 and 1832, losing all four times. People knew of his financial worries, plus his flamboyant nature often worked against him. It looked like he was doomed to be forever remembered as a failure.
However, Disraeli refused to give up on his political dream. In 1837, he was finally elected to Parliament, winning a seat for the Conservative Party. Once he was firmly on the inside of the establishment, there was no stopping him. By 1852, he was Chancellor of the Exchequer, holding one of the most powerful positions in the land. He oversaw the complete revision of Parliament and then, in 1868, when Lord Derby retired, his time had come: Disraeli was Prime Minister. He would hold the top job until February of 1874, completing his remarkable comeback from political no-hoper to the most powerful man in all of Britain.