The Member has claims to be the first political novel in English language and is a tour de force of wit, observation, and a devastating critique of political self-seeking. Its hero is a Scot, newly returned from India, who purchases a seat in a rotten borough.
A Scottish novelist, entrepreneur, and political and social commentator. Because he was the first novelist to deal with issues of the Industrial Revolution, he has been called the first political novelist in the English language (Wikipedia).