John Pitt, 2nd Earl of Chatham

John Pitt, 2nd Earl of Chatham

John Pitt, 2nd Earl of Chatham (born October 9, 1756 in Hayes, London-Bromley, † September 24, 1835 in London ) was a British officer and politician. Among other things, he was First Lord of the Admiralty . In 1809 he was in command of the failed Walcheren expedition . Most recently he was governor of Gibraltar .

family

He was the eldest son of William Pitt, 1st Earl of Chatham and Hester (née Grenville). His brother was William Pitt the Younger . He himself married on July 10, 1783 Mary Elisabeth Townshend (1762-1821), a daughter of Thomas Townshend, 1st Viscount Sydney . The couple had no children.

Life

Pitt joined the British Army in 1774. He served in the infantry. In 1778 he was promoted to lieutenant. At times he served in the American War of Independence . With the rank of captain, he took part in the long siege of Gibraltar between 1779 and 1783.

Also through the influence of his brother William, he became First Lord of the Admiralty in the same year . He had good relations with King George III. Since 1789 he was a member of the Privy Council . At times he was Lord Seal Keeper . In 1790 he became a Knight of the Order of the Garter . He gave up the post in the Admiralty in 1794. Shortly before, he had been promoted to colonel without actually being in command.

After the end of his time as Lord of the Admiralty, he continued to serve in the government. In 1795 he became a major-general. A year later he became Lord President of the Council . He held this office until 1801. For a time he commanded a brigade in the Netherlands in 1799 and was wounded in the process. Between 1801 and 1806 he was Master-General of the Ordnance . This roughly corresponds to a general field master with cabinet rank. Among other things, he was responsible for the artillery and military engineering. After the death of his brother, he lost the post and took it again from 1807 to 1810. In 1802 he was promoted to lieutenant general.

But his real goal was to reap military glory. In 1808 he put out feelers to maintain high command on the Spanish peninsula. But this went to Arthur Wellesley . Instead he was given command of the Walcheren expedition in 1809. This was the largest British landing company to date and aimed at the extraction of Antwerp . The company turned out to be a complete failure with high losses. Chatham's limited military talent played a role in this. Other factors, such as the disagreement between the army and navy and the dispute in the government, were added.

The defeat severely damaged his reputation over the long term. Nevertheless he was promoted to general in 1812. He served as governor of Plymouth between 1805 and 1807. Between 1807 and 1820 he was governor of Jersey and from 1820 to 1835 of Gibraltar.

The title of Earl of Chatham expired with his death and has not yet been awarded again.

literature

• Michael J. Turner: Pitt - the Younger. Cambridge 2003, p. 5 f.
• Sam Wllias: The Glorious First of June. Fleet Battle in the Reign of Terror. London 2011.
• The Gentleman's Magazine. Vol. IV. London 1835, p. 546.

predecessor	Office	successor
William Pitt	Earl of Chatham 1778-1835	Title expired
Richard Howe	First Lord of the Admiralty 1788–1794	George Spencer
George Spencer	Keeper of the Lord Seal 1794–1798	John Fane
David Murray	Lord President of the Council 1796-1801	William Cavendish-Bentinck
George Lennox	Governor of Plymouth 1805-1807	Gerard Lake
George Townshend	Governor of Jersey 1807–1820	William Beresford
George Don	Governor of Gibraltar 1820–1835	George Don