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He is known as "Pitt the Younger" to distinguish him from his father, William Pitt the Elder, who had also previously served as prime minister. Pitt's prime ministerial tenure, which came during the reign of King George III , was dominated by major political events in Europe, including the French Revolution and the Napoleonic Wars .
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Tory and Whig 1783 to 1801, 1804 to 1806
On the execution of Louis XVI of France: “On every principle by which men of justice and honour are actuated, it is the foulest and most atrocious deed which the history of the world has yet had occasion to attest.”
28 May 1759, Hayes Place, near Hayes Kent
India Act 1784: for the superintendence and control overall the British territorial possessions in the East Indies and control over the affairs of the company. Act of Union 1800: united the Kingdom of Great Britain with the Kingdom of Ireland to create United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland.
He was Britain's youngest ever Prime Minister, entering office at the age of 24. He fought a duel 27 May 1798 on Putney Heath against George Tierney, a Foxite MP. Pitt wrote to his mother; “….The business concluded without anything unpleasant to either Party”
At just 24 years old, William Pitt The Younger, son of Pitt the Elder, was the youngest Prime Minister in history. He died aged only 46. He was exhausted by the demands of an office whose modern conception he helped to establish, and of a peculiarly threatening international situation which frustrated many of his political goals.
Read more about William Pitt ‘The Younger’ on the History of government blog.
- Lily Johnson
- He was born into a political family. William Pitt was born on 28 May 1759 to William Pitt, 1st Earl of Chatham (often referred to as ‘the Elder’) and his wife Hester Grenville.
- He was admitted to Cambridge University aged 13. Though sickly as a child, Pitt was a bright student and showed great talent for Latin and Greek at an early age.
- He was a lifelong friend of William Wilberforce. While studying at Cambridge, Pitt met the young William Wilberforce and the two became lifelong friends and political allies.
- He became an MP through a rotten borough. After failing to secure the University of Cambridge parliamentary seat in 1780, Pitt entreated an old university friend, Charles Manners, 4th Duke of Rutland, to help him secure the patronage of James Lowther, later 1st Earl Lowther.
Jul 5, 2024 · William Pitt, the Younger (born May 28, 1759, Hayes, Kent, England—died January 23, 1806, London) was a British prime minister (1783–1801, 1804–06) during the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic wars. He had considerable influence in strengthening the office of the prime minister.
William Pitt was born on 28 May 1759 in Kent, the son of the earl of Chatham (William Pitt the Elder), himself a famous statesman. Pitt studied at Cambridge University, graduating when he was...
Pitt the Younger was one of the most consequential Prime Ministers in British history. He commanded the government and directed policy to a far greater extent than any man before him. The sheer length of his tenure vastly increased the importance and powers of his office.
2 days ago · Pitt lived and died a bachelor, totally obsessed with political office. He was clever, single-minded, confident of his own abilities, and a natural politician. But perhaps his greatest asset in the early 1780s was his youth.
