William Beckford (politician)

Sir
William Beckford
BornDecember 1709
Jamaica
Died21 June 1770 (1770-06-22) (aged 60)
Other namesAlderman Beckford
EducationWestminster School
Spouse
Maria Marsh
​
(m. 1756)​
Children9, including William and Richard
FatherPeter Beckford
Relatives
Statue of William Beckford atop the huge monument in his memory, Guildhall, London, by John Francis Moore

Sir William Beckford (December 1709 – 21 June 1770) was a Jamaican-born planter and Whig politician who twice served as Lord Mayor of London in 1762 and 1769. One of the best known political figures in Georgian era London, his vast wealth derived from the sugar plantations and hundreds of slaves he owned in the British colony of Jamaica. In Britain, Beckford was a supporter of the Whig party, including Prime Minister William Pitt, 1st Earl of Chatham. He also publicly supported progressive causes and frequently championed the London public.[1][2]

  1. ^ Perry Gauci, William Beckford: First Prime Minister of the London Empire (Yale University Press, 2020)
  2. ^ Christian Isobel Johnstone, The Public Buildings of the City of London Described: Volume 5. 1831, p. 120