 Walpole was a Whig from the gentry class who was first elected to Parliament in 1701 and held many senior positions.He was a country squire and looked to country gentlemen for his political base.Historian Frank O'Gorman says his leadership in Parliament reflected his "reasonable and persuasive oratory, his ability to move both the emotions as well as the minds of men, and, above all, his extraordinary self-confidence".