William Pitt, the Elder

Cultural  

1. An English political leader of the eighteenth century. Pitt led the British government in the Seven Years' War. Although he opposed independence for the American colonies, he worked to change the harsh colonial policies of King George III and his ministers.

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Example Sentences

In 1763, William Pitt the Elder trumpeted the rights of the small English landholder: “The poorest man may in his cottage bid defiance to all the forces of the Crown. It may be frail—its roof may shake—the wind may blow through it—the storm may enter—the rain may enter—but the King of England cannot enter—all his forces dare not cross the threshold of the ruined tenement.”

From The Wall Street Journal

In his dedication to William Pitt the elder, Sterne asserts that “every time a man smiles,—but much more so, when he laughs, that it adds something to this Fragment of life.”

From Slate

Fein delivered a pocket history of the Fourth Amendment, from the reaction to the British “writs of assistance” to the words of John Adams and James Otis, and finally to remarks by William Pitt the Elder.

From Slate

William Pitt, the elder statesman of that name, was born in London, in the parish of St. James's, November 15, 1708.

From Project Gutenberg

She watches as the great William Pitt the Elder returns to government on a sea of popularity, only to dash his admirers' hopes by resigning from Commons to become Earl of Chatham.

From Time Magazine Archive