William Pitt the Younger

From an early age, he suffered from several health problems such as gout and bad digestion. He remained a bachelor all his life and had no children.

Pitt died on account of his lifelong illnesses on January 23, 1806, at Bowling Green House on Putney Heath, London, England. His body was buried in Westminster Abbey.

William Pitt the Younger was born on May 28, 1759, at Hayes Place in the village of Hayes, Kent, England, to William Pitt, 1st Earl of Chatham, and his wife, Hester Grenville.

He was the second son in the family and belonged to a political background from both his parents. His mother was sister to former British Prime Minister, George Grenville.

Initially, Pitts was educated at home by the Reverend Edward Wilson and being a bright child, he quickly became proficient in Latin and Greek.

In 1773, he went to Pembroke College, Cambridge, where he studied numerous subjects including mathematics, chemistry and history.

In 1776, Pitt took advantage of a little-used privilege which was offered only to the sons of noblemen and chose to graduate without having to pass examinations.

In 1780, William Pitt stood unsuccessfully for a parliamentary seat but the following year, he became a Member of Parliament from Appleby in Cumbria, at the age of 21. Although he was offered several minor office posts early in career, he chose to preserve his political independence and wait for more responsible positions.

In July 1782, he was appointed the Chancellor of the Exchequer in Lord Shelburne's ministry. The following year after Lord Shelburne resignation, Pitt was offered the post of Prime Minister but he wisely declined because he knew, he would not be able to secure the support of the House of Commons. A coalition government of Charles James Fox and Lord North, nominally headed by William Cavendish-Bentinck, 3rd Duke of Portland, took office on 2 April 1783. Pitt was stripped of his post as Chancellor of the Exchequer, and he joined the Opposition.The Fox-North coalition government fell in December 1783 over the impasse on Edmund Burke's bill to reform the East India Company. Fox introduced the bill but the King George III was opposed to it. The bill was passed in the House of Commons but the King intervened and made sure that it was defeated in the House of Lords. Following the bills failure in the Upper house, the King dismissed the Fox-North and made William Pitt the Prime Minister.

In December 1783, Pitt became the youngest Prime Minister of Britain at the age of 24, serving the head of the ministry as First Lord of the Treasury and Chancellor of the Exchequer. Despite some early public concern about the government, Pitt’s ministry survived for 17 years.

With the support of the King and the House of Lords, he won with a very large majority in the 1784 general elections. During that year, Pitt set about reducing the national debt and combating smuggling.

In 1786, he established the sinking fund to pay off the national debt, and also introduced other important financial and administrative reforms. In the field of colonial administration, Pitt brought about reforms in the governing of both India and Canada.

One of Pitt's most significant accomplishments was the restoration of the country’s economy after the American War of Independence. He was successful in coping up with the mounting national debt, and also implemented modifications to the tax system in order to improve the revenue generation.