Though he was baptized at the age of thirteen, he took great pride in his Jewish background. He was elected as a conservative member of Parliament in 1837. Soon after, he founded the Young England movement with other young Tories. He was a favorite of Queen Victoria and became prime minister of England, leading the Tory Party in 1868. In 1875, he helped England acquire the Suez Canal and had Queen Victoria proclaimed empress of India. In two of his novels, Alroy and Tancred , he described the Jewish desire for independence in their own land. Despite his father's conversion to the Anglican faith, he never lost his pride in being part of the Jewish people.