Pitt, William, Earl of Chatham. Born in 1708. English statesman, son of Robert Pitt. Became member of Parliament in 1735, attaching himself to the so-called Patriotic Party, under the Prince of Wales. He attacked Walpole and Carteret successively and, after the retirement of the latter in 1744, supported the ministries of Pelham and Newcastle, and was made paymaster of the forces, a post which he lost owing to his anti-Hanoverian speeches. As secretary of state in 1756 and again in 1757, under Newcastle, he carried on the war against France with great vigor and success. He spoke against the peace of Paris in 1762, and afterwards supported the repeal of the Stamp Act. In 1766 he was created Earl of Chatham, and from his place in the House of Lords, continued to urge a policy of conciliation towards America. Died 1778.

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