In 1689, Newton was elected as a member of the Cambridge University parliament, a position that he held for a term of one year, from 1689-1690, and again in 1701-1702.
In 1696, he was appointed Warden of the Royal Mint in London, a job that assured a comfortable social and economic status. He regarded this position very seriously, campaigning against corruption and inefficiency throughout his time as the Warden.
Isaac Newton was elected president of the Royal Society in 1703, and was annually re-elected until his death.
‘The Opticks’, a book that communicated the theories that Newton had been working on since the mid-1660s on light and colour, was finally published in 1704. Soon after this, Newton was knighted by Her Majesty Queen Anne in 1705, becoming Sir Isaac Newton.
From the time that he was elected president of the Royal Society to the time of his death, Newton exercised dominance over the landscape of science that went unrivalled, though has since been described as tyrannical and autocratic. Newton did not deal well with contradiction, as shown throughout the saga between himself and Robert Hooke, however his election provided him with means to protect his ideas and beliefs, marshalling all the forces of the scientific community at his command. Overall, Newton became a very rich and popular figure by the time of his death, and despite evidence of an insecure personality that was prone to depression; he has left a legacy that has proved almost priceless.
It was on the night of the 20th of March 1727 that Sir Isaac Newton died in his sleep. He was buried at Westminster Abbey and was later referred to as one of the greatest scientists who ever lived.