Sir William Curtis, 1st Baronet

Sir William Curtis (centre) in an 1809 caricature on the Walcheren Expedition, between the military commanders John Pitt, 2nd Earl of Chatham and Marshal Bernadotte

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. Leigh Rayment's Historical List of MPs – Constituencies beginning with "L" (part 3)
2. The London Gazette: no. 13213. p. 397. 26 June 1790. Retrieved 6 December 2010.
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.
4. The London Gazette: no. 17450. p. 307. 16 February 1819. Retrieved 6 December 2010.
5. Stooks Smith, page 545
6. Leigh Rayment's Historical List of MPs – Constituencies beginning with "H" (part 2)
7. Stooks Smith, page 338
8. The London Gazette: no. 15536. p. 1253. 27 November 1802.
9. 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