The youngest Prime Minister in British history, William
Pitt the Younger was also the most brilliant politician of
his generation. Elected as MP for Appleby in 1781, at
the age of 21, he was Chancellor of the Exchequer by
1783. Briefly forced to resign when that administration
broke down, he came back to defeat the coalition of Lord
North and Charles James Fox - and was appointed First
Lord of the Treasury and Chancellor at the end of the year.
In an election the following year, Pitt attracted widespread public support, and remained in office almost continuously until his death at the age of 46 in 1806. Sometimes criticised for lacking personal warmth, his intellect and rhetorical powers were almost legendary - but these were balanced by remarkable human failings: he couldn't do sums, was disorganised, and drank too much.
