Glad ‧ stone, Wil ‧ liam Ew ‧ art /ˈɡlædstən $ -stəʊn, ˈwɪljəm ˈjuːət $ -ərt/ BrE AmE
(1809–98) a British politician in the Liberal Party, who was Prime Minister four times (1868–74, 1880–85, 1886, 1892–94). He established a system of primary education for all children, and also introduced secret voting rights for most males. He supported the idea of limited independence for Ireland, but did not succeed in persuading Parliament to accept this policy.