William Pitt the Younger

William Pitt the Younger (1759–1806) was a British statesman who became Prime Minister of Great Britain in 1783 at the age of 24, the youngest in the nation's history, serving until 1801 and again from 1804 until his death. The son of William Pitt the Elder, Earl of Chatham, he entered Parliament at 21 and soon earned a reputation as a gifted speaker. Appointed by King George III, he restored public finances after the American war, reformed customs duties and introduced Britain's first income tax in 1798. He guided the country through the long conflict with Revolutionary France and oversaw the Acts of Union that created the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland in 1801. A close friend of William Wilberforce, he encouraged the campaign to abolish the slave trade. He died in office, remembered for integrity and devotion to public service.