William Pitt the Younger

The Right Honourable William Pitt, the Younger (28 May 1759–23 January 1806) was a British politician during the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries. He served as Prime Minister from 1783 to 1801, and again from 1804 until his death. He is known as William Pitt the Younger to distinguish him from his father, William Pitt the Elder, who also served as Prime Minister of Great Britain.

Early life

William Pitt the Younger, the son of William Pitt the Elder (afterwards Earl of Chatham) and the Lady Hester Pitt, was born in Hayes, Kent. Pitt the Younger's father was an important British statesman, as was his maternal uncle, George Grenville. Pitt the Younger was the second son and fourth child out of five; his elder brother, John Pitt, also had a political career.

Related Topics:
Kent - George Grenville - John Pitt

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William Pitt the Younger, sickly as a boy, was educated at home by the Reverend Edward Wilson. An intelligent child, Pitt quickly became proficient in Latin and Greek. In 1773, aged fourteen years, he attended Pembroke Hall at the University of Cambridge, where he studied political philosophy, the Classics, and history. In 1776, Pitt, plagued by poor health, took advantage of a little-used privilege available only to the sons of noblemen, and chose to graduate without having to pass examinations.

Related Topics:
Edward Wilson - Latin - Greek - 1773 - Pembroke Hall - University of Cambridge - Classics - 1776

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Pitt's father, who had by then been created Earl of Chatham, died in 1778. As a younger son, Pitt the Younger received a minuscule inheritance. He received legal education at Lincoln's Inn, and was called to the bar in 1780.

Related Topics:
1778 - Lincoln's Inn - 1780

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