Original: William Ewart Gladstone ( 29 December 1809 -- 19 May 1898 ) was a British Liberal Party statesman and four times Prime Minister of the United Kingdom ( 1868 -- 74 , 1880 -- 85 , 1886 and 1892 -- 94 ) .
Simplified: William Ewart Gladstone ( 29 December 1809 -- 19 May 1898 ) was a prime minister of the United Kingdom .