William Pulteney, Viscount Pulteney

British Whig politician and soldier

Arms of Pulteney: *Argent, a fess dancettée gules in chief three leopard's faces sable*

William Pulteney, Viscount Pulteney (9 January 1731 – 12 February 1763)^[1] was a British Whig politician and soldier. William was the only son of William Pulteney, 1st Earl of Bath.^[2] William served as a lieutenant-colonel in his father's 85th Regiment of Foot.^[2] He served in the Seven Years' War, but he died of a fever in Madrid, unmarried and childless.^[3] His father died only a year later, and his titles became extinct.^[4]

He was the only son of William Pulteney, 1st Earl of Bath and his wife Anna Maria Gumley, daughter of John Gumley.^[2] Pulteney was educated at Westminster School from 1740 to 1747 and began his Grand Tour in the following year.^[2] He traveled with John Douglas first to Leipzig, met his parents in Paris in 1749 and went then to Turin.^[2]

Career

In 1754, he entered the British House of Commons, sitting for Old Sarum until 1761.^[5] Subsequently, he represented Westminster as member of parliament (MP) until his death in 1763.^[1] Pulteney was appointed Lord of the Bedchamber in 1760^[2] and served as Aide-de-Camp to King George III the United Kingdom between January and February 1763.^{[citation needed]}

In 1759, his father raised the 85th Regiment of Foot and Pulteney became its lieutenant-colonel.^[2] He took part with his regiment in the Capture of Belle Île in February 1761 and moved in November to Portugal.^[2] On his return to England in 1763, he died of fever in Madrid, unmarried and childless^[3] and was buried in Westminster Abbey two months later.^{[citation needed]} His father died only a year later and the titles became extinct.^[4]

References

1 2 "Leigh Rayment – British House of Commons, Westminster". Archived from the original on 10 August 2009. Retrieved 22 July 2009.
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Sir Lewis Namier, John Brooke, ed. (2002). The House of Commons, 1754-1790. Vol. I. London: Secker & Warburg. pp. 339–340.
1 2 Conolly, Matthew Forster (1866). Biographical Dictionary of Eminent Men of Fife of Past and Present Times. Cupa, Fife: John C. Orr. pp. 148.
1 2 Burke, John (1831). A General and Heraldic Dictionary of the Peerages of England, Ireland, and Scotland. London: Henry Colburn and Richard Bentley. p. 442.
↑ "Leigh Rayment – British House of Commons, Old Sarum". Archived from the original on 10 August 2009. Retrieved 22 July 2009.

Parliament of Great Britain

Preceded by

Earl of Middlesex
Simon Fanshawe

Member of Parliament for Old Sarum
1754 – 1761
With: Thomas Pitt of Boconnoc 1754–1756
Sir William Calvert 1756–1761

Succeeded by

Thomas Pitt of Boconnoc
Howell Gwynne

Preceded by

John Crosse
Edward Cornwallis

Member of Parliament for Westminster
1761 – 1763
With: Edward Cornwallis 1761–1762
Edwin Sandys 1762–1763

Succeeded by

Edwin Sandys
Lord Warkworth

Political offices

New office

Lord of the Bedchamber
1760–1763

Succeeded by

The Lord Willoughby de Broke

Related Articles