Charles Dilke

Sir Charles Wentworth Dilke, 2nd Baronet (4 September 1843 – 26 January 1911) was a British Liberal and Radical politician and writer. A prominent figure in late Victorian radical politics, he was an early supporter of republicanism and later a leading critic of Whig dominance within the Liberal Party in the United Kingdom. Dilke played an important role in the reform legislation of 1883–1885, supported organised labour and women's rights, and was widely read for his writings on international affairs. Considered a likely future prime minister, his political career was effectively ended in 1885 by a highly publicised divorce scandal. Although he later returned to Parliament, his prospects for high office never recovered, and his downfall—along with Joseph Chamberlain’s break with Liberal radicalism—significantly weakened the Radical movement.