PITT 



Pitt, WILLIAM (1759 - 1806). 

 British statesman. Younger son of 

 the 1st earl of Chatham (q.v.), and 

 hia wife, Lady Hester Grenville, he 

 was born at Hayes, Kent, May 28, 

 1759. A weakly child, he was 

 educated at home until, at fourteen, 

 he entered Pembroke Hall, Cam- 

 bridge. He read the classics, and 

 knew a good deal of English 

 literature and something of mathe- 

 matics. Although he took his 

 degree in 1777, he remained at 

 Cambridge until 1780, when he 

 was called to the bar. 



At the general election in Sept., 

 1780. Pitt was an unsuccessful 

 candidate for bis university, but 

 was almost at once chosen (Jan., 

 1781) for the pocket borough of 

 Appleby. In Parliament he as- 

 sociated himself with the Whigs, 



After J. Hoppner. R.A. 



led by Shelburne. On Feb. 26, 

 1781, on Burke's motion for econo- 

 mical refor^n, he made his first 

 speech,and as an advocate of parlia- 

 mentary and other reforms quickly 

 became one of the leading figures 

 in the House. In 1784 Cambridge 

 returned him, and he represented 

 the university until his death. 



In July, 1782, when Shelburne 

 became prime minister, Pitt entered 

 office as chancellor of the exche- 

 quer, but the ministry only sur- 

 vived for nine months. While 

 Portland was premier 'he took his 

 place among the opposition leaders, 

 argued again for parliamentary 

 reform, and visited France. Before 

 the end of the year the coalition 

 had been defeated, and in Dec., 

 1783, Pitt, then 24 years of age, 

 became prime minister, accepting 

 the invitation he had refused the 

 previous Feb. He himself took 

 the office of chancellor of the ex- 

 chequer, and, although some of 

 his associates left him, he soon 



6178 



formed a minis- ' 

 try. He had to 

 face a hostile ma- ' 

 jority in the Com- , 

 mons, but the 

 courage with r 

 which he did this 

 heightened his 

 reputation, es- 

 pecially in the 

 country, which 

 applauded him 

 still more when, 

 a poor man, he 

 refused the rich 

 sinecure of the 

 clerkship of the 

 pells (q.v. ). The fruits were garner- 

 ed in April, 1784, when the general 

 election took place. Pitt's foes 

 were scattered, and behind him in 

 the new House was ranged a solid 

 phalanx of supporters. 



Pitt's long 'premiership divides 

 itself into two periods, one of peace 

 and one of war. From 1784 to 1792 

 his chief aim was to restore to his 

 country the economic prosperity 

 damaged by the American War. 

 He ordered the finances, estab- 

 lished a sinking fund, and, aided by 

 a time of commercial expansion, 

 made his name as a finance 

 minister. These years were marked 

 by the impeachment of Hastings, 

 and the question of the regency. 

 Pitt as War Minister 



During this time, and to a less 

 extent later, Pitt did not receive 

 from his colleagues in the Cabinet 

 that support which premiers of a 

 later age look upon as their un- 

 questioned right. He suffered de- 

 feats in the House of Commons, 

 not always on minor points, as 

 when his proposals for regulating 

 the commercial relations between 

 England and Ireland were rejected. 

 He showed himself true to his 

 early zeal for parliamentary reform, 

 although his proposals in that 

 direction were another of his 

 failures, and came out by the side 

 of his friend Wilberforce in the 

 cause of the slaves. 



In 1789 the French Revolution 

 opened, but as late as the end of 

 1792 Pitt did not believe that it 

 would lead Britain into war. But 

 from that date events moved fast. 

 The French Republic committed 

 one aggression after another, and 

 in 1793 Britain entered the 

 struggle. From then Pitt was a 

 war minister. His high courage 

 was specially needed in 1797, when 

 Britain was left to continue the 

 fight alone, and the seamen 

 mutinied, but the fleet was soon in 

 action again and a new coalition 

 formed. In 1798, too, the rebel- 

 lion in Ireland was crushed, and 

 in 1800 came the union of the par- 

 liaments of England and Ireland. 



PITTACUS 



Pittenweem, Fifeshire Ruins of the priory 



Pitt's Irish policy was to com- 

 plete the union by granting civil 

 liberties to the Roman Catholics. 

 Some of his colleagues were hostile, 

 but the decisive opposition came 

 from the king, and Pitt resigned 

 office in February, 1801. For two 

 years he hardly appeared in the 

 House of Commons, but on May 16, 

 1803, he returned and favoured 

 what amounted to a renewal of 

 the war. When this came he was 

 again called to the helm (May, 

 1804). He formed a fresh coalition, 

 and, though the Austrians were 

 beaten at Ulm, the victory of Tra- 

 falgar restored the fortunes of the 

 Allies. Then came Austerlitz. On 

 the news of this defeat he returned 

 from Bath to London, and already 

 very ill, on Jan. 23, 1806, he died 

 at his house in Putney. He was 

 buried by the side of his father in 

 Westminster Abbey. Pitt was 

 never married. 



Statesman and Orator 



William Pitt ranks as one of the 

 greatest of English statesmen and 

 orators. Proud and reserved, he 

 lived a somewhat lonely life, but 

 his devotion to his country's 

 interests was never questioned. As 

 a war minister, sending out ex- 

 peditions that were costly and 

 valueless, and passing measures 

 retarding the liberty of the people, 

 he may have been less successful 

 than he was in time of peace, but 

 with a courage that never faltered 

 he guided his country in a dark 

 hour. His private life was stain- 

 less, his only weakness being a 

 fondness for port wine, while he 

 shared his father's lofty freedom 

 from all taint of pecuniary cor- 

 ruption. A. W. Holland 



Bibliography. Political Life of 

 Pitt, J. Gifford, 1809 ; The Age of 

 Pitt and Fox, D. O. Madden, 1846 ; 

 Lives, Lord Stanhope, 1862 ; E. 

 Walford, 1890; G. Whibley, 1906; 

 Lord Rosebery, 1914 ; Pitt and the 

 Great War, J. H. Rose, 1915. 



Pittacus (c. 652-569 B.C.). 

 Ruler of Mitylene and one of the 

 seven wise men of ancient Greece. 

 A contemporary of Alcaeus and 

 Sappho, he was largely responsible 



