9. Mary Anne Disraeli was older than future British Prime Minister Benjamin – but she was richer too, which made her even more attractive to him
When British politician Benjamin Disraeli met Mary Anne Lewis in the late-1830s, it was hardly love at first sight. He was an up-and-coming star of the Conservative Party, tipped to be Prime Minister one day. She was a widow, 12 years his senior. What’s more, she was outspoken and, by the standards of the time, often uncouth. However, she was also rich, with a substantial annual income. Disraeli sensed an opportunity and he proposed marriage, a union that would be beneficial to both parties. They wed in 1839 and only then did they start falling in love.
In later life, Mary Anne would state: “Dizzy married me for my money. But, if he had the chance again, he would marry me for love.” Indeed, as the years passed, Disraeli became increasingly dependent on his older wife. She would help him with his various writing projects, including speeches to Parliament and the history books he liked to write. She was also extremely loyal, as was he to her, including when he finally became Prime Minister. The pair remained devoted to one another right to the end. By 1872, Mary Anne was still accompanying Disraeli on political tours, despite the fact that she was dying of cancer.