Pitt, William, 1st Earl of Chatham (1708-1778)

William Pitt was born on November 15, 1708, the second son of Robert and Harriet Villiers Pitt, daughter of Viscount Grandison. His grandfather was the famous Governor Pitt of Madras—known as “Diamond Pitt,” from whom he likely inherited the masterful and volatile temperament that so impressed and intimidated contemporaries. In 1719 Pitt proceeded to Eton and in 1726 to Trinity College, Oxford. He left after only a year for the University of Utrecht, which he attended briefly studying law, but not seriously preparing for a professional career. By 1730 he was back at the family estate at Boccanoc in Cornwall. In 1731 he secured a coronetcy in the King's Regiment of horse and two years later made an extended trip abroad, including visits to Switzerland and France.