Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington (also known as
the Iron Duke) came to politics relatively late in his career
- by which time his military leadership in the Napoleonic
Wars had made him not so much a national hero as a
national institution. Brought into Lord Liverpool's cabinet
as Master-General of the Ordnance in 1818, his political
career was marked by a strong sense of conservatism. He
despised the politician's art of compromise and was guided by
a firm belief in autocratic leadership and firm government.
Despite this, his common sense and political realism took him briefly to the office of Prime Minister, but he was forced to resign over his opposition to parliamentary reform. Later he served successfully as Foreign Secretary under Robert Peel.
