old guard

noun

1. the imperial guard created in 1804 by Napoleon: it made the last French charge at Waterloo.
2. (in the U.S.) the conservative element of any political party, especially the Republican Party.
3. (usually lowercase) the influential, established, more conservative members of any body, group, movement, etc.: the old guard of New York society.

noun

1. a group that works for a long-established or old-fashioned cause or principle
2. the conservative element in a political party or other group

noun

1. the French imperial guard created by Napoleon in 1804