William Pitt the Younger

The Right Honourable William Pitt
Portrait by John Hoppner, c. 1804–05
Prime Minister of the United Kingdom
In office 10 May 1804 – 23 January 1806
Monarch	George III
Preceded by	Henry Addington
Succeeded by	The Lord Grenville
In office 1 January 1801 – 14 March 1801
Monarch	George III
Preceded by	Himself as Prime Minister of Great Britain
Succeeded by	Henry Addington
Prime Minister of Great Britain
In office 19 December 1783 – 1 January 1801
Monarch	George III
Preceded by	The Duke of Portland
Succeeded by	Himself as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom
Chancellor of the Exchequer
In office 10 May 1804 – 23 January 1806
Preceded by	Henry Addington
Succeeded by	Lord Henry Petty
In office 19 December 1783 – 14 March 1801
Preceded by	Lord John Cavendish
Succeeded by	Henry Addington
In office 10 July 1782 – 31 March 1783
Preceded by	Lord John Cavendish
Succeeded by	Lord John Cavendish
Parliamentary offices Leader of the House of Commons In office 10 May 1804 – 23 January 1806 Preceded by Henry Addington Succeeded by Charles James Fox In office 19 December 1783 – 14 March 1801 Preceded by Lord North Succeeded by Henry Addington Member of Parliament for Cambridge University In office 18 May 1784 – 23 January 1806 Preceded by Lord John Townshend Succeeded by Lord Henry Petty Member of Parliament for Appleby In office 8 January 1781 – 30 March 1784 Preceded by William Lowther Succeeded by John Leveson-Gower
Personal details
Born	(1759-05-28)28 May 1759 Hayes, Kent, England
Died	23 January 1806(1806-01-23) (aged 46) Putney, Surrey, England
Resting place	Westminster Abbey, England
Political party	Tory
Parent(s)	William Pitt, 1st Earl of Chatham Lady Hester Grenville
Alma mater	Pembroke College, Cambridge
Signature
Military service
Allegiance	Great Britain
Branch/service	British Militia
Years of service	1802–1804
Rank	Colonel
Unit	Trinity House Volunteer Artillery Cinque Ports Volunteers
Battles/wars	Napoleonic Wars

William Pitt (28 May 1759 – 23 January 1806) was a British statesman, the youngest and last prime minister of Great Britain from 1783 until the Acts of Union 1800, and then first prime minister of the United Kingdom from January 1801. He left office in March 1801, but served as prime minister again from 1804 until his death in 1806. He was also Chancellor of the Exchequer for all of his time as prime minister. 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. Pitt, although often referred to as a Tory, or "new Tory", called himself an "independent Whig" and was generally opposed to the development of a strict partisan political system.

Pitt was regarded as an outstanding administrator who worked for efficiency and reform, bringing in a new generation of competent administrators. He increased taxes to pay for the great war against France and cracked down on radicalism. To counter the threat of Irish support for France, he engineered the Acts of Union 1800 and tried (but failed) to secure Catholic emancipation as part of the Union. He created the "new Toryism", which revived the Tory Party and enabled it to stay in power for the next quarter-century.

The historian Asa Briggs argues that his personality did not endear itself to the British mind, for Pitt was too solitary and too colourless, and too often exuded an attitude of superiority. His greatness came in the war with France. Pitt reacted to become what Lord Minto called "the Atlas of our reeling globe". William Wilberforce said, "For personal purity, disinterestedness and love of this country, I have never known his equal."^[1] Historian Charles Petrie concludes that he was one of the greatest prime ministers "if on no other ground than that he enabled the country to pass from the old order to the new without any violent upheaval ... He understood the new Britain."^[2] For this he is ranked highly amongst all British prime ministers in multiple surveys.^[3][4]

Pitt served as prime minister for a total of eighteen years, 343 days, making him the second-longest-serving British prime minister of all time, after Robert Walpole.