Sir William Curtis, 1st Baronet
Sir William Curtis | |
|---|---|
 Sir William Curtis (centre) in an 1809 caricature on the Walcheren Expedition, between military commanders John Pitt, 2nd Earl of Chatham and Marshal Bernadotte | |
| Born | |
| Died | England, United Kingdom |
| Nationality | English |
| Occupation(s) | Businessman, banker, politician |
Sir William Curtis (25 January 1752 – 18 January 1829)[1] was an English businessman, banker and politician.
Life
Born in Wapping, London, Curtis was the son of a sea biscuit manufacturer, Joseph Curtis, and his wife Mary Tennant.[2]
The family business was making ship’s biscuit and other dry provisions for the Royal Navy. They were also shipowners whose vessels carried convicts to Australia and engaged in South Sea whaling.[3]
A lifelong Tory, he was elected as a Member of Parliament for the City of London at the 1790 general election.[4] He held the seat continuously for 28 years until his defeat at the 1818 general election.[5] He was returned to the Commons in February 1819 at a by-election for Bletchingley,[6][7] and at the 1820 general election he was returned again for the City of London.[1][5] He did not contest London again at the 1826 election,[5] when he was returned for Hastings.[8][9] He resigned that seat later the same year.[9]
He was also Alderman of the city, becoming Sheriff of London in 1788 and Lord Mayor in 1795–96. He was created a Baronet of Cullonds Grove in 1802.[10]
See also
- Lady Penrhyn, a ship part-owned by Curtis that carried convicts in the First Fleet to New South Wales in 1788.
- Curtis Island, New Zealand, one of the Kermadec Islands named after Curtis by the Lady Penryn.
- Butterworth Squadron, a waling a maritime fur trading expedition to the Pacific Ocean in 1792, of which Curtis was a principal investor.
References
- ^ a b Leigh Rayment's Historical List of MPs – Constituencies beginning with "L" (part 3)
- ^ "Curtis, William (1752–1829), of Culland's Grove, Southgate, Mdx., History of Parliament Online". Retrieved 18 March 2018.
- ^ Jane M. Clayton & Charles A. Clayton, Shipowners investing in the South Sea whale fishery from Britain; 1775 to 1815, Hassobury, 2016, p.89.
- ^ "No. 13213". The London Gazette. 26 June 1790. p. 397.
- ^ a b c Stooks Smith, Henry. (1973) [1844-1850]. Craig, F. W. S. (ed.). The Parliaments of England (2nd ed.). Chichester: Parliamentary Research Services. pp. 210–211. ISBN 0-900178-13-2.
- ^ "No. 17450". The London Gazette. 16 February 1819. p. 307.
- ^ Stooks Smith, page 545
- ^ Leigh Rayment's Historical List of MPs – Constituencies beginning with "H" (part 2)
- ^ a b Stooks Smith, page 338
- ^ "No. 15536". The London Gazette. 27 November 1802. p. 1253.
External links
- Hansard 1803–2005: contributions in Parliament by Sir William Curtis
- "CURTIS, William (1752-1829), of Culland's Grove, Southgate, Mdx.", The History of Parliament, The History of Parliament Trust, retrieved 26 February 2012
- 1752 births
- 1829 deaths
- People from Wapping
- Baronets in the Baronetage of the United Kingdom
- Sheriffs of the City of London
- Lord Mayors of London
- Tory MPs (pre-1834)
- Members of the Parliament of Great Britain for English constituencies
- British MPs 1790–96
- British MPs 1796–1800
- Members of the Parliament of the United Kingdom for English constituencies
- UK MPs 1801–02
- UK MPs 1802–06
- UK MPs 1806–07
- UK MPs 1807–12
- UK MPs 1812–18
- UK MPs 1818–20
- UK MPs 1820–26
- UK MPs 1826–30
- British whalers