William Tait MP FRSE (c. 1755 – 7 January 1800) was an 18th-century Scottish politician and landowner. He was MP for Stirling Burghs 1797 to 1800.

Life

He was born in Edinburgh around 1755, the second son of Alexander Tait (died 1781), a

Writer to the Signet The Society of Writers to His Majesty's Signet is a private society of Scottish solicitors, dating back to 1594 and part of the College of Justice. Writers to the Signet originally had special privileges in relation to the drawing up of document ...

(WS) and Principal Clerk of Session to the courts, and his wife Janet Blair of Blair. He studied law at the

University of Edinburgh The University of Edinburgh ( sco, University o Edinburgh, gd, Oilthigh Dhùn Èideann; abbreviated as ''Edin.'' in post-nominals) is a public research university based in Edinburgh, Scotland. Granted a royal charter by King James VI in 15 ...

and was admitted into Lincoln's Inn in 1777. He became an advocate in 1780, and acted as personal legal advisor to

Henry Dundas Henry Dundas, 1st Viscount Melville, PC, FRSE (28 April 1742 – 28 May 1811), styled as Lord Melville from 1802, was the trusted lieutenant of British Prime Minister William Pitt and the most powerful politician in Scotland in the late 18t ...

. He became Advocate Depute in 1787 and Sheriff of Stirling and Clackmannan in 1790. In 1790 he was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh. His proposer was Alexander Fraser Tytler. In 1797 he stood for election in Stirling Burghs and was elected on 17 July 1797. He was a member of William Pitt's government. He died in Exeter on 7 January 1800.

Family

He was unmarried and had no children.

References

1800 deaths Alumni of the University of Edinburgh Scottish lawyers Fellows of the Royal Society of Edinburgh British MPs 1796–1800 Members of the Parliament of Great Britain for Scottish constituencies Members of Lincoln's Inn Politicians from Edinburgh {{Scotland-GreatBritain-MP-stub