Thus Ito, according to some interpreters of modern Japan, practically ceased to rank as an "elder statesman" when he consented to lead the political combination known as the Sei-yu-kai.

Mrs. Carghill. At bottom, I believe you're still the same silly Richard / You always were. You wanted to pose / As a man of the world. And now you're posing / As what? I presume, as an elder statesman; / And the difference between being an elder statesman / And posing successfully as an elder statesman / Is practically neglible. / And you look the part.

Michael Foot was speaking affectionately when in 1979 he quipped that David Steel had apparently gone from 'rising hope to elder statesman' without any intervening period whatsoever.

I would classify him in this field as an elder statesman and a very knowledgeable and brilliant scientist, and useful for consulting purposes, but he is not directly working on Project Vela.

With the average age of the new production team under thirty, he found himself in the unenviable position of BBC Current Affairs elder statesman.

The 'loss of a sense of self-identity, delusions of self-identity and experiences of "alien control"', observed an elder statesman in the field of microbiome research, are all potential symptoms of mental illness.

Elder statesman

Meaning

Noun