William Pitt the Younger was a British statesman, the youngest and last prime minister of Great Britain (before the Acts of Union 1800) and then first prime minister of the United Kingdom (of Great Britain and Ireland) as of 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, 1st Earl of Chatham, who had previously served as prime minister and is referred to as "William Pitt the Elder" (or "Chatham" by historians).
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 engage 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.
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.
Robert Walpole • Spencer Compton, 1st Earl of Wilmington • Thomas Pelham-Holles, 1st Duke of Newcastle • William Cavendish, 4th Duke of Devonshire • Thomas Pelham-Holles, 1st Duke of Newcastle • John Stuart, 3rd Earl of Bute • George Grenville • Charles Watson-Wentworth, 2nd Marquess of Rockingham • William Pitt, 1st Earl of Chatham • Augustus FitzRoy, 3rd Duke of Grafton • Frederick North, Lord North • Charles Watson-Wentworth • William Petty, 2nd Earl of Shelburne • William Cavendish-Bentinck, 3rd Duke of Portland • William Pitt the Younger • Henry Addington • William Pitt the Younger • William Grenville, 1st Baron Grenville • William Cavendish-Bentinck, 3rd Duke of Portland • Spencer Perceval • Robert Jenkinson, 2nd Earl of Liverpool • George Canning • F. J. Robinson, 1st Viscount Goderich • Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington • Charles Grey, 2nd Earl Grey • William Lamb, 2nd Viscount Melbourne • Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington • Robert Peel • William Lamb, 2nd Viscount Melbourne • Robert Peel • John Russell, 1st Earl Russell • Edward Smith-Stanley, 14th Earl of Derby • George Hamilton-Gordon, 4th Earl of Aberdeen • Henry John Temple, 3rd Viscount Palmerston • Edward Smith-Stanley, 14th Earl of Derby • Henry John Temple, 3rd Viscount Palmerston • John Russell, 1st Earl Russell • Edward Smith-Stanley, 14th Earl of Derby • Benjamin Disraeli • William Ewart Gladstone • Benjamin Disraeli • William Ewart Gladstone • Robert Gascoyne-Cecil, 3rd Marquess of Salisbury • William Ewart Gladstone • Robert Gascoyne-Cecil, 3rd Marquess of Salisbury • William Ewart Gladstone • Archibald Primrose, 5th Earl of Rosebery • Robert Gascoyne-Cecil, 3rd Marquess of Salisbury • Arthur Balfour • Henry Campbell-Bannerman • H. H. Asquith • David Lloyd George • Bonar Law • Stanley Baldwin • Ramsay MacDonald • Stanley Baldwin • Ramsay MacDonald • Stanley Baldwin • Neville Chamberlain • Winston Churchill • Clement Attlee • Winston Churchill • Anthony Eden • Harold Macmillan • Alec Douglas-Home • Harold Wilson • Edward Heath • Harold Wilson • James Callaghan • Margaret Thatcher • Henry Collingridge • Francis Urquhart • Tom Makepeace • Undisclosed Labour Leader
Robert Walpole • Spencer Compton, 1st Earl of Wilmington • Thomas Pelham-Holles, 1st Duke of Newcastle • William Cavendish, 4th Duke of Devonshire • Thomas Pelham-Holles, 1st Duke of Newcastle • John Stuart, 3rd Earl of Bute • George Grenville • Charles Watson-Wentworth, 2nd Marquess of Rockingham • William Pitt, 1st Earl of Chatham • Augustus FitzRoy, 3rd Duke of Grafton • Frederick North, Lord North • Charles Watson-Wentworth • William Petty, 2nd Earl of Shelburne • William Cavendish-Bentinck, 3rd Duke of Portland • William Pitt the Younger • Henry Addington • William Pitt the Younger • William Grenville, 1st Baron Grenville • William Cavendish-Bentinck, 3rd Duke of Portland • Spencer Perceval • Robert Jenkinson, 2nd Earl of Liverpool • George Canning • F. J. Robinson, 1st Viscount Goderich • Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington • Charles Grey, 2nd Earl Grey • William Lamb, 2nd Viscount Melbourne • Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington • Robert Peel • William Lamb, 2nd Viscount Melbourne • Robert Peel • John Russell, 1st Earl Russell • Edward Smith-Stanley, 14th Earl of Derby • George Hamilton-Gordon, 4th Earl of Aberdeen • Henry John Temple, 3rd Viscount Palmerston • Edward Smith-Stanley, 14th Earl of Derby • Henry John Temple, 3rd Viscount Palmerston • John Russell, 1st Earl Russell • Edward Smith-Stanley, 14th Earl of Derby • Benjamin Disraeli • William Ewart Gladstone • Benjamin Disraeli • William Ewart Gladstone • Robert Gascoyne-Cecil, 3rd Marquess of Salisbury • William Ewart Gladstone • Robert Gascoyne-Cecil, 3rd Marquess of Salisbury • William Ewart Gladstone • Archibald Primrose, 5th Earl of Rosebery • Robert Gascoyne-Cecil, 3rd Marquess of Salisbury • Arthur Balfour • Henry Campbell-Bannerman • H. H. Asquith • David Lloyd George • Bonar Law • Stanley Baldwin • Ramsay MacDonald • Stanley Baldwin • Ramsay MacDonald • Stanley Baldwin • Neville Chamberlain • Winston Churchill • Clement Attlee • Winston Churchill • Anthony Eden • Harold Macmillan • Alec Douglas-Home • Harold Wilson • Edward Heath • Harold Wilson • James Callaghan • Margaret Thatcher • John Major • Tony Blair • Gordon Brown • David Cameron • Theresa May • Boris Johnson • Liz Truss • Rishi Sunak
