William Pitt the Younger was born on May 28, 1759 in Kent, England. Young Pitt was the fourth of five children born to William Pitt the Elder and his wife Lady Hester Grenville. William was always Pitt the Elder's favorite son. His father was made Earl of Chatham in 1766. As a result, William's political status later in life was influenced by his father's earlier position. Pitt was a frail, sickly child and inherited gout. Gout is a form of arthritis that causes sudden, severe attacks of pain, redness, and tenderness in the joints. Due to his multiple illnesses, he was home-schooled. By the age of seven, William was advanced in all his subjects and was already fluent in Latin. William had an extraordinary understanding of all the subjects he was taught and was willing to learn anything new. Pitt's father observed how much his son excelled and decided that it was time for young William to have the chance to go even further with his studies. Therefore in 1773, at the age of fourteen, William Pitt the Younger had to attend school in Pembroke Hall at Cambridge University. He graduated with a master's degree, without examination, in 1776. In 1773, during his first year at school Pitt suffered from an attack of gout and a bottle of port a day as a cure. Port is the most toxic of all wines and the prescribed remedy probably exacerbated the problem. Pitt was only fourteen but continued to drink throughout his life. While at university Pitt became friends with high society figures who also allowed him to excel in his political career. During his studies Pitt would attend meetings of parliament. Pitt was apparently preparing for a role in parliament. On one occasion he was introduced to Charl... middle of paper... 23. Pitt drank heavily and died of cirrhosis of the liver at the age of forty-six. His debts amounted to £40,000, were paid by the nation, pensions were given to his three nieces and a public funeral was voted, which was held on 22 February in Westminster Abbey. Pitt had an image of severity and appeared to have a disgusting manner. He trained himself to present himself with calm and self-control. Most of his supporters admired and obeyed him, but disliked his personality. The men found him and the king felt much more comfortable with anyone else. Pitt had few close friends but he enjoyed company and spent much of his free time with younger members of parliament. Almost all of Pitt's life was spent in parliament, he was Prime Minister for almost nineteen of the twenty-five years he served in parliament.