William Pitt

author

William Pitt

1759–1806

A brilliant and fiercely driven statesman, he became Britain’s youngest prime minister at just 24 and led the country through years of war, political upheaval, and major financial reform.

1 Audiobook

Speech of the Right Honourable William Pitt, in the House of Commons, Thursday, January 31, 1799 On offering to the House the resolutions which he proposed as the basis of an union between Great Britain and Ireland: Fifth Edition.

Speech of the Right Honourable William Pitt, in the House of Commons, Thursday, January 31, 1799 On offering to the House the resolutions which he proposed as the basis of an union between Great Britain and Ireland: Fifth Edition.

by William Pitt

About the author

Born in Kent in 1759, he was the son of William Pitt the Elder and grew up in one of Britain’s best-known political families. Educated at home and later at Pembroke Hall, Cambridge, he entered Parliament in 1781 and quickly gained a reputation as an exceptional speaker and strategist.

He became prime minister in 1783 at the age of 24, making him the youngest person ever to hold the office in Britain. During his years in power he worked to strengthen public finances, reform government administration, and guide the country through the era of the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars. He also served as chancellor of the exchequer and played a central role in the politics surrounding the 1801 union of Great Britain and Ireland.

Reserved in private life and deeply absorbed by public duty, he never married and spent much of his adult life under the pressure of office. He returned to power in 1804 and remained prime minister until his death in 1806, leaving behind a reputation as one of the most important political figures of his age.