John Pitt, 2nd Earl of Chatham

The Earl of Chatham
John Pitt, 2nd Earl of Chatham
Born	9 October 1756
Died	24 September 1835 (aged 78)
Allegiance	United Kingdom
Service/branch	British Army
Years of service	1774 - 1812
Rank	General
Battles/wars	Napoleonic Wars
Awards	Order of the Garter

General John Pitt, 2nd Earl of Chatham, KG, PC (9 October 1756 – 24 September 1835) was a British peer and soldier.

Career

He was the eldest son of William Pitt the Elder and an elder brother of William Pitt the Younger. He was commissioned into the 47th Regiment of Foot in 1774.

Later he served in various capacities, including First Lord of the Admiralty, Lord Privy Seal and Lord President of the Council, in the Tory cabinets of the late 18th and early 19th centuries. In 1809, during the Napoleonic Wars, he commanded the British force in the Walcheren Campaign. He was Governor of Jersey from 1807 to 1820 and Governor of Gibraltar from 1820 to 1835. The Chatham Counterguard in Gibraltar was named for the Earl of Chatham.

Family

He married The Hon. Mary Townshend, daughter of the 1st Baron Sydney, on 10 July 1783. He died without issue and the Earldom of Chatham became extinct.

Titles from birth to death

• Mr. John Pitt (1756–1761)
• The Hon. John Pitt (1761–1766)
• Viscount Pitt (1766–1778)
• The Rt. Hon. The Earl of Chatham (1778–1789)
• The Rt. Hon. The Earl of Chatham, PC (1789–1790)
• The Rt. Hon. The Earl of Chatham, KG, PC (1790–1835)

References

Political offices
Preceded by The Viscount Howe	First Lord of the Admiralty 1788 – 1794	Succeeded by The Earl Spencer
Preceded by The Earl Spencer	Lord Privy Seal 1794 – 1798	Succeeded by The Earl of Westmorland
Preceded by The Earl of Mansfield	Lord President of the Council 1796 – 1801	Succeeded by The Duke of Portland
Military offices
Preceded by The Marquess Cornwallis	Master-General of the Ordnance 1801 – 1806	Succeeded by The Earl of Moira
Preceded by Lord George Lennox	Governor of Plymouth 1805–1807	Succeeded by The Viscount Lake
Preceded by The Earl of Moira	Master-General of the Ordnance 1807 – 1810	Succeeded by The Lord Mulgrave
Government offices
Preceded by George Townshend, 1st Marquess Townshend	Governor of Jersey 1807–1821	Succeeded by William Beresford, 1st Viscount Beresford
Preceded by Sir George Don (acting)	Governor of Gibraltar 1820–1825	Succeeded by Sir George Don (acting)
Peerage of Great Britain
Preceded by William Pitt	Earl of Chatham 1778 – 1835	Extinct
Preceded by Hester Pitt	Baron Chatham 1803 – 1835