William Pitt
William Pitt, also called Pitt the Elder, was a Whig politician and member of the Parliament in Great Britain.
Contents
History
William was a younger son of Robert Pitt, a member of the House of Commons.
His older brother, Thomas Pitt, was elected for two boroughs in 1734; he chose to sit for Okehampton and passed Old Sarum to William.
He was a member of the Patriot Whigs and enjoyed mentorship and patronage of both Frederick and Temple.
He developed a reputation through his criticisms of the Walpole government's decision to not intervene in the War of Polish Succession. He argued the Anglo-Austrian Alliance, established by the Treaty of Vienna in 1731, mandated Great Britain intervene. (In later years, he would also argue that non-intervention enabled France and Spain to strengthen and made the Seven Years' War inevitable.) Pitt, among others, had his military commission (and therefore his income) dismissed.
George II personally opposed Pitt's inclusion in the Broad Bottom Government, but was forced to accept his appointment in 1746. His policy positions began to shift towards the Whig mainstream and accordingly he was raised in government.
Following the death of Pelham, Pelham-Holles became the nominal head of government. In actuality he became the king-maker for the next head. Fox and Pitt were politically ascendant and the obvious choices, but he chose neither to ensure the next government was not too centralized. Pitt continued to serve in the Robinson ministry.
Shortly thereafter, the peace established by the Treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle fell apart. Border skirmishes in the Ohio territory escalated into the French and Indian War. Austria entered into a new alliance with France. Frederick the Great invaded Austria to seize Saxony and Bohemia, and Hanover stood between French armies and the emerging war front. The Pelham-Holles government hoped to extend peace by signing defense agreements and subsidizing the defense of Hanover and other continental allies. Pitt and Grenville went public with their disagreements, and were thus dismissed from government.
England was not prepared for the Seven Years' War, and suffered a devastating loss in Menorca. There were calls to execute members of the government, up to and including Pelham-Holles. A court marshal against MP and Admiral John Byng was offered up as a scapegoat. Fox and Pelham-Holles both resigned in late 1756 while Byng was executed in early 1757.
Cavendish was offered the opportunity to lead a new government, though Pitt effectively held power. This arrangement lasted only until the Spring; William demanded that Pitt be removed as a condition to taking command over the defense of Hanover, which was accepted. The backlash was so great that the appointees of a prospective Fox government were turned away in June.
Pitt and Pelham-Holles formed a coalition and regained control over government.
After George II died in 1760, George III succeeded the throne. He shortly forced the appointment of his close advisor, Stuart, to government. Stuart and Pelham-Holles together overruled Pitt's intention to declare war against Spain; he resigned in protest.
When Watson-Wentworth was dismissed in 1766, Pitt was appointed to lead a new government. He was also created earl of Chatham and viscount of Burton Pynsent.
Pitt resigned in 1768 due to his health, and only returned to the House of Lords two years later. He remained a renowned orator, but his faction greatly diminished over time.
He died in 1778.