William Elliot (12 March 1766 – 26 October 1818) was an Irish politician who sat in the

Irish House of Commons The Irish House of Commons was the lower house of the Parliament of Ireland that existed from 1297 until the end of 1800. The upper house was the Irish House of Lords, House of Lords. The membership of the House of Commons was directly elected, ...

before its abolition. After the Act of Union he sat as a Whig in the

House of Commons The House of Commons is the name for the elected lower house of the Bicameralism, bicameral parliaments of the United Kingdom and Canada. In both of these countries, the Commons holds much more legislative power than the nominally upper house of ...

of the

United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland was the union of the Kingdom of Great Britain and the Kingdom of Ireland into one sovereign state, established by the Acts of Union 1800, Acts of Union in 1801. It continued in this form until ...

Biography

Elliot was elected to the Irish House of Commons in 1796 as a Member of Parliament for St Canice. At the 1798 election he was returned for both

Carlow Carlow ( ; ) is the county town of County Carlow, in the south-east of Republic of Ireland, Ireland, from Dublin. At the 2022 census of Ireland, 2022 census, it had a population of 27,351, the List of urban areas in the Republic of Ireland, ...

and for St Canice, but chose to continue to sit for St Canice. He held that seat until the

Parliament of Ireland The Parliament of Ireland () was the legislature of the Lordship of Ireland, and later the Kingdom of Ireland, from 1297 until the end of 1800. It was modelled on the Parliament of England and from 1537 comprised two chambers: the Irish Hou ...

was abolished at the end of 1800 by the Act of Union, when he did not initially have a seat in the new

Parliament of the United Kingdom The Parliament of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is the supreme legislative body of the United Kingdom, and may also legislate for the Crown Dependencies and the British Overseas Territories. It meets at the Palace ...

. However, he was elected at an unopposed by-election in March 1801 as MP for Portarlington, and held that seat until the 1802 general election, when he was returned to the House of Commons of the United Kingdom for the English borough of

Peterborough Peterborough ( ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city in the City of Peterborough district in the Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county of Cambridgeshire, England. The city is north of London, on the River Nene. A ...

. He held that seat until his death in October 1818, aged 52. He was sworn as a Privy Councillor in March 1806, in

Dublin Castle Dublin Castle () is a major Government of Ireland, Irish government complex, conference centre, and tourist attraction. It is located off Dame Street in central Dublin. It is a former motte-and-bailey castle and was chosen for its position at ...

, and appointed on 28 March as

Chief Secretary for Ireland The Chief Secretary for Ireland was a key political office in the British Dublin Castle administration, administration in Ireland. Nominally subordinate to the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland, Lord Lieutenant, and officially the "Chief Secretar ...

in the Ministry of All the Talents. He held that post until 1807.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Elliot, William 1766 births 1818 deaths Irish MPs 1790–1797 Irish MPs 1798–1800 Whig (British political party) MPs for English constituencies Members of the Parliament of the United Kingdom for Portarlington UK MPs 1801–1802 Whig (British political party) MPs for Irish constituencies UK MPs 1802–1806 UK MPs 1806–1807 UK MPs 1807–1812 UK MPs 1812–1818 UK MPs 1818–1820 Members of the Privy Council of Ireland Commissioners of the Treasury for Ireland Chief secretaries for Ireland Members of the Parliament of Ireland (pre-1801) for County Kilkenny constituencies Members of the Parliament of Ireland (pre-1801) for County Carlow constituencies