William Clive (29 August 1745–23 June 1825) was a British politician who sat in the

House of Commons The House of Commons is the name for the elected lower house of the 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 parliament. ...

for over 40 years between 1768 and 1820. Styche Hall - geograph

Clive was the sixth son of Richard Clive of Styche Hall and his wife Rebecca Gaskell, daughter of Nathaniel Gaskell of

Manchester Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of Salford to the west. The t ...

and was born on 29 August 1745. He was educated at

Eton College Eton College () is a public school in Eton, Berkshire, England. It was founded in 1440 by Henry VI under the name ''Kynge's College of Our Ladye of Eton besyde Windesore'',Nevill, p. 3 ff. intended as a sister institution to King's College, C ...

from 1760 to 1761. He joined the army and was Cornet in the

1st Dragoons The Royal Dragoons (1st Dragoons) was a heavy cavalry regiment of the British Army. The regiment was formed in 1661 as the Tangier Horse. It served for three centuries and was in action during the First and the Second World Wars. It was amalgama ...

in 1764. In the autumn of 1767, Clive was going to stand for

Leominster Leominster ( ) is a market town in Herefordshire, England, at the confluence of the River Lugg and its tributary the River Kenwater. The town is north of Hereford and south of Ludlow in Shropshire. With a population of 11,700, Leominster is t ...

at the next general election, but probably because his brother

Lord Clive Robert Clive, 1st Baron Clive, (29 September 1725 – 22 November 1774), also known as Clive of India, was the first British Governor of the Bengal Presidency. Clive has been widely credited for laying the foundation of the British ...

had obtained complete control of

Bishops Castle Bishop's Castle is a market town in the south west of Shropshire, England. According to the 2011 Census it had a population of 1,893. Bishop's Castle is east of the Wales-England border, about north-west of Ludlow and about south-west of ...

he was returned there unopposed as Member of Parliament. He then resigned his seat two years later in January 1770 when Lord Clive needed it for Alexander Wedderburn. He became a lieutenant in 1771 and retired from the army in 1776. Clive was returned again as MP for Bishops Castle by his nephew Edward, Lord Clive in a by-election on 31 March 1779 . He was returned unopposed again in

1780 Events January–March * January 16 – American Revolutionary War – Battle of Cape St. Vincent: British Admiral Sir George Rodney defeats a Spanish fleet. * February 19 – The legislature of New York votes to allow ...

1784 Events January–March * January 6 – Treaty of Constantinople: The Ottoman Empire agrees to Russia's annexation of the Crimea. * January 14 – The Congress of the United States ratifies the Treaty of Paris with Great Brit ...

and

1790 Events January–March * January 8 – United States President George Washington gives the first State of the Union address, in New York City. * January 11 – The 11 minor states of the Austrian Netherlands, which took p ...

. He married his second cousin Elizabeth Clive Rolton, daughter of John Rolton of

Duffield, Derbyshire Duffield is a village in the Amber Valley district of Derbyshire, north of Derby. It is centred on the western bank of the River Derwent at the mouth of the River Ecclesbourne. It is within the Derwent Valley Mills World Heritage Area and th ...

on 25 August 1790. He was elected again in the 1796 general election. In 1798 he was appointed Commissioner of Lieutenancy for Shropshire and held the position to 1804. At the 1802 election there was a contest at Bishops Castle. Although his own seat was not at risk, he was active in thwarting opposition to the family interest while his nephew was away in India. In July 1803 he promoted the Shropshire volunteers. He was returned unopposed in

1806 Events January–March * January 1 ** The French Republican Calendar is abolished. ** The Kingdom of Bavaria is established by Napoleon. * January 5 – The body of Horatio Nelson, 1st Viscount Nelson, lies in state in the Painted Hall ...

1807 Events January–March * January 7 – The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland issues an Order in Council prohibiting British ships from trading with France or its allies. * January 20 – The Sierra Leone Company, faced with b ...

1812 Events January–March * January 1 – The ''Allgemeines bürgerliches Gesetzbuch'' (the Austrian civil code) enters into force in the Austrian Empire. * January 19 – Peninsular War: The French-held fortress of Ciudad Rodrigo Siege of ...

and

1818 Events January–March * January 1 ** Battle of Koregaon: Troops of the British East India Company score a decisive victory over the Maratha Empire. ** Mary Shelley's ''Frankenstein'' is published anonymously in London. * January 2 – ...

. He retired in the face of a contest at the 1820 general election. No speech of his is known during his time in the House. Clive died on 23 June 1825 aged 79. He and his wife Elizabeth had seven sons and a daughter. His first six sons were *1 Richard Clive – Indian civil service *2 William Clive (1795–1825)– clergyman Archdeacon of Montgomery *3 Robert Herbert Clive (1796–1867) Bengal Civil Service *4 Edward Clive (1799–1877) British army *5 Henry Bailey Clive (1800–1870) clergyman *6 George Arthur Clive (died 1881) clergyman

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Clive, William 1745 births 1825 deaths People educated at Eton College Members of the Parliament of Great Britain for English constituencies British MPs 1768–1774 British MPs 1774–1780 British MPs 1780–1784 British MPs 1784–1790 British MPs 1790–1796 British MPs 1796–1800 Members of the Parliament of the United Kingdom for English constituencies UK MPs 1801–1802 UK MPs 1802–1806 UK MPs 1806–1807 UK MPs 1807–1812 UK MPs 1812–1818 UK MPs 1818–1820