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1 leaf. 165 x 113 mm. Signed and dated letter from Benjamin Disraeli to Reverend James Rudge, rector in Devonshire. "Reverend Sir, Permit me to thank you for your gratifying letter. Tis the appreciation of minds like yours that a public man finds his greatest reward. I have the honour to remain, Revd. Sir, your faithful Servant B. Disraeli. Bradenham Manor High Wycomb Dec 26/44" "The Rev. James Rudge." The letter is in response to Rudge's letter to Disraeli in which Rudge wrote: "The only way to save the country is by the means suggested in your admirable work." Rudge was referring to Disraeli's novel CONINGSBY, which had just been published. The date of this letter is very significant. This is the year that Disraeli breaks with Peel and starts his own career, tries to destroy Peel and eventually succeeds in doing so. At the time of this letter Disraeli is deep in debt and relieved to be in Parliament, which immunized him from creditors. The letter is protected by an acid free mylar envelope. Benjamin Disraeli, 1st Earl of Beaconsfield, KG, PC, FRS, (21 December 1804 -19 April 1881) was a British Conservative politician, writer, aristocrat and dandy who twice served as Prime Minister. He played a central role in the creation of the modern Conservative Party, defining its policies and its broad outreach. Disraeli is remembered for his influential voice in world affairs, his political battles with the Liberal spokesman William Ewart Gladstone, and his one-nation conservatism or "Tory democracy". He made the Conservatives the party most identified with the glory and power of the British Empire. He is to date the only British Prime Minister of Jewish birth. Disraeli was born in London. His father left Judaism after a dispute at his synagogue; young Benjamin became an Anglican at age 12. After several unsuccessful attempts, Disraeli entered the House of Commons in 1837. When the Conservatives gained power in 1841, Disraeli was given no office by the Prime Minister, Sir Robert Peel. In 1846, Peel split the party over his proposal to repeal the Corn Laws, which imposed a tariff on imported grain. Disraeli bitterly attacked Peel in the Commons. The Conservatives who split from Peel had few who were adept in Parliament, and Disraeli became a major figure in the party, though many in it did not favour him. When Lord Derby, the party leader, thrice formed governments in the 1850s and 1860s, Disraeli served as Chancellor of the Exchequer and Leader of the House of Commons. He also forged a bitter rivalry with the Liberal Party's William Ewart Gladstone. Upon Derby's retirement due to ill health in 1868, Disraeli became Prime Minister briefly before losing that year's election. He returned to opposition, before leading the party to a majority in the 1874 election. He maintained a close friendship with Queen Victoria, who in 1876 created him Earl of Beaconsfield. Disraeli's second term was dominated by the Eastern Question - the slow decay of the Ottoman Empire and the desire of other countries, such as Russia, to gain at its expense. Disraeli arranged for the British to purchase a major interest in the Suez Canal Company (in Ottoman-controlled Egypt). In 1878, faced with Russian victories against the Ottomans, he led the British delegation at the Congress of Berlin and secured a settlement favourable to Britain. This diplomatic victory over Russia established Disraeli as one of Europe's leading statesmen. Although Disraeli won public acclaim for his actions at Berlin, events thereafter moved against the Conservatives. Controversial wars in Afghanistan and South Africa undermined his public support. He angered British farmers by refusing to re-institute the Corn Laws in response to poor harvests and cheap American grain. With Gladstone conducting a massive speaking campaign, his Liberals bested Disraeli's Conservatives in the 1880 election. In his final months, Disraeli led the Conservatives in opposition. Seller Inventory # 006245
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