Benjamin Disraeli, 1st Earl of Beaconsfield (21 December 1804 – 19 April 1881), born Benjamin D'Israeli, was a British politician. He was Chancellor of the Exchequer in 1852, from 1858–1859 and from 1866–1868. He was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom in 1868 and from 1874–1880. His main opponent was William Ewart Gladstone. Disraeli was also a novelist and biographer.