William Pitt Statue

Description

Like many other Colonial cities, the colonists were delighted with the repeal of the Stamp Act which they credited to William Pitt's rousing speech in Parliament. He declared "The Americans have not acted in all things with prudence and temper. They have been wronged. They have been driven to madness by injustice. Will you punish them for the madness you have occasioned? Rather let prudence and temper come first from this side. I will undertake for America, that she will follow the example…Upon the whole, I will beg leave to tell the House what is really my opinion. It is, that the Stamp Act be repealed absolutely, totally, and immediately; that the reason for the repeal should be assigned, because it was founded on an erroneous principle."

Commissioned, 1768

The General Assembly commissioned a statue of Pitt which would be placed in front of New York's City Hall.

Installed, Sept 7, 1770

The sculpture was installed in the commercial district.

Partially Destroyed, Sept, 1777

Supposedly the British retaliated for the destruction of the King George Sculpture by partially demolishing the Pitt Statue leaving it headless and armless. The Magna Carta remained.

Relocated, 1788

The State Legislature voted to relocate the sculpture and moved it to the Bridewell Prison where it formed a column holding up a shed.

Relocated, 1811

Its next move was to the American Academy of the Fine Arts.

Partially Restored, 1831

When the Customs House was sold, the sculpture was moved back to the Commons.

Found, 1843

John Fanning Watson found it outside of an Arsenal

Relocated, 1847

This time the sculpture was moved to Thomas Riley's Museum in the 5th Ward Hotel

Acquired, 1864

The headless and armless marble statue of the British statesman William Pitt (created by sculptor Joseph Wilton) was gifted to the New-York Historical Society by Simon M. Mackie

Factoids

Joseph Wilton created several sculptures of William Pitt. There is a bust at Harvard donated by Benjamin Franklin in 1769 when he was in London. The Harvard Corporation acknowledged this significance in a note thanking the statesman and scientist “for his very acceptable present of a fine bust of that great assertor of American liberties.” There is also one with Pitt dressed in a toga holding the Magna Carta that is still in Charleston.

Related People & Organizations

William Pitt,Muse

Related Sites

Statue of King George III

Timeline

1843