biography
| name: |
Pitt, William, 1st Earl of Chatham
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also known as Pitt the Elder
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| sex:
| male
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| lived:
| (1708–78)
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| biography:
| Statesman and orator, born in London, UK. He studied at Oxford, joined the army (1731), then entered Parliament for the family borough of Old Sarum (1735). He led the young ‘Patriot’ Whigs, and in 1756 became nominally secretary of state, but virtually premier. The king's enmity led him to resign in 1757, but public demand caused his recall. Again compelled to resign when his cabinet refused to declare war with Spain (1761), he vigorously attacked the peace terms of the Treaty of Paris (1763) as too generous to France. He formed a new ministry in 1766, but ill health contributed to his resignation in 1768. |
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