Sir Robert Peel 1788-1850 (contemporary cartoon). British Conservative politician. Home secretary 1822-1927 and 1828-1830, he founded the modern police force and in 1829 introduced Roman Catholic emancipation. He was prime minister 1834-1835 and 1841-1846, when his repeal of the Corn Laws caused him and his followers to break with the party. Peel, born in Lancashire, entered Parliament as a Tory 1809. After the passing of the reform Bill of 1832, which he had resisted, he reformed the Tories under the name of the Conservative Party, on a basis of accepting necessary changes and seeking middle-class support. He fell from prime ministerial office because his repeal of the Corn Laws 1846 was opposed by the majority of his party. He and his followers then formed a third party standing between the Liberals and Conservatives; the majority of the Peelites, including Gladstone, subsequently joined the Liberals.