Sir William Curtis, 1st Baronet
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.
A lifelong Tory, he was elected as a Member of Parliament for the City of London at the 1790 general election.[2] He held the seat continuously for 28 years until his defeat at the 1818 general election.[3] He was returned to the Commons in February 1819 at a by-election for Bletchingley,[4][5] and at the 1820 general election he was returned again for the City of London.[1][3] He did not contest London again at the 1826 election,[3] when he was returned for Hastings.[6][7] He resigned that seat later the same year.[7]
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.[8]
The definition of the three Rs as "reading, writing, and 'rithmetic" is attributed to him from a speech made at a Board of education dinner.[9]
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
- 1 2 Leigh Rayment's Historical List of MPs – Constituencies beginning with "L" (part 3)
- ↑ The London Gazette: no. 13213. p. 397. 26 June 1790. Retrieved 6 December 2010.
- 1 2 3 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.
- ↑ The London Gazette: no. 17450. p. 307. 16 February 1819. Retrieved 6 December 2010.
- ↑ Stooks Smith, page 545
- ↑ Leigh Rayment's Historical List of MPs – Constituencies beginning with "H" (part 2)
- 1 2 Stooks Smith, page 338
- ↑ The London Gazette: no. 15536. p. 1253. 27 November 1802.
- ↑ The Mirror of Literature Amusement and Instruction, Volume 5 by John Timbs, J. Limbird, 1825, p 85
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 2012-02-26