Person:William Pitt (47)

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William Pitt, 1st Earl of Chatham
b.15 Nov 1708
m. Abt Dec 1703
  1. Thomas Pitt, of BoconnocEst 1705 - 1761
  2. William Pitt, 1st Earl of Chatham1708 - 1778
  3. Catherine Pitt
  1. Lady Hester Pitt1755 - 1780
  2. John Pitt, 2nd Earl of Chatham1756 - 1835
  3. William Pitt1759 - 1806
  4. Harriot PittBef 1770 - 1786
Facts and Events
Name William Pitt, 1st Earl of Chatham
Gender Male
Birth[1] 15 Nov 1708
Marriage to Hester Pitt, Countess of Chatham
Death[1] 11 May 1778 Putney, Surrey, England
Reference Number? Q208663


the text in this section is copied from an article in Wikipedia

William Pitt, 1st Earl of Chatham, (15 November 170811 May 1778) was a British statesman of the Whig group who served as Prime Minister of Great Britain from 1766 to 1768. Historians call him Chatham or William Pitt the Elder to distinguish him from his son, William Pitt the Younger, who was also a prime minister. Pitt was also known as the Great Commoner, because of his long-standing refusal to accept a title until 1766.

Pitt was a member of the British cabinet and its informal leader from 1756 to 1761 (with a brief interlude in 1757), during the Seven Years' War (including the French and Indian War in the American colonies). He again led the ministry, holding the official title of Lord Privy Seal, between 1766 and 1768. Much of his power came from his brilliant oratory. He was out of power for most of his career and became well known for his attacks on the government, such as those on Walpole's corruption in the 1730s, Hanoverian subsidies in the 1740s, peace with France in the 1760s, and the uncompromising policy towards the American colonies in the 1770s.

Pitt is best known as the wartime political leader of Britain in the Seven Years' War, especially for his single-minded devotion to victory over France, a victory which ultimately solidified Britain's dominance over world affairs. He is also known for his popular appeal, his opposition to corruption in government, his support for the American position in the run-up to the American Revolutionary War, his advocacy of British greatness, expansionism and empire, and his antagonism towards Britain's chief enemies and rivals for colonial power, Spain and France. Marie Peters argues his statesmanship was based on a clear, consistent, and distinct appreciation of the value of the Empire.

The British parliamentary historian P. D. G. Thomas argued that Pitt's power was based not on his family connections but on the extraordinary parliamentary skills by which he dominated the House of Commons. He displayed a commanding manner, brilliant rhetoric, and sharp debating skills that cleverly utilised broad literary and historical knowledge. Scholars rank him highly among all British prime ministers.

This page uses content from the English Wikipedia. The original content was at William Pitt, 1st Earl of Chatham. The list of authors can be seen in the page history. As with WeRelate, the content of Wikipedia is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
References
  1. 1.0 1.1 William Pitt, 1st Earl of Chatham, in Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia.