DILKE, SIR CHARLES WENTWORTH, 2ND BARONET


Meaning of DILKE, SIR CHARLES WENTWORTH, 2ND BARONET in English

born Sept. 4, 1843, London, Eng.

died Jan. 26, 1911, London

British politician.

He was elected to Parliament in 1868, first as an extremist then as a moderate. In 1882 he became a member of William E. Gladstone 's cabinet and was seen as a future prime minister. He was ruined at the height of his career when he was cited as a corespondent in a sensational divorce suit in 1886. Dilke denied the woman's story, and the accumulated evidence showed that much of it was a fabrication. He returned to the House of Commons (1892–1911), where he promoted progressive labor legislation and gained a reputation as a military expert.

Britannica Concise Encyclopedia.      Краткая энциклопедия Британика.