William Henry Pitt (17 July 1937 – 17 November 2017) was a British politician. A Liberal Member of Parliament between 1981 and 1983, he was the first candidate elected to Parliament under the banner of the SDP–Liberal Alliance. Early life Pitt was born on Brixton Hill, South London in 1937. His family later moved to Upper Norwood, where he attended Heath Clark School, followed by the London Nautical School and South Bank Polytechnic where he studied to be a Lighting Engineer. He spent some time in Wales working on a farm and learning to play the tuba, prior to his National Service in the Royal Army Service Corps. His initial political allegiance was to the Conservatives; he was Chairman of South Norwood Young Conservatives from 1959 to 1960. He joined the Liberal Party in the 1960s. He had a keen interest in theatre and music from his teens onwards, and was offered a place in Leslie Crowther's Repertory Company aged 16, which he was unable to take up. He had an abiding love for and interest in France, French film and French language engendered by his teacher Arthur Birtles; French was his second language. The rest of his education did not match up to Mr Birtles' standards, but his passion for learning and self-education continued throughout his life. Liberal politics In the 1970s, Pitt worked as a local government officer for the London Borough of Lambeth. Whilst working as an Environmental Health Officer in the Mayall & Railton Roads Housing Action Area of Brixton he became Chair of Lambeth NALGO. He stood as Liberal candidate for Croydon North West in February 1974 obtaining 23% of the vote. He stood again in the October election, but this time, the vote for most Liberal Candidates declined, including his own. In the 1979 general election he, like 60% of Liberal candidates in London and 50% overall, lost his deposit. He was, however, popular within the party and served as Chairman of the London Liberal Party and as a member of the Liberal Party National Executive Committee and the Party Council from 1977 until 1981. He took on the editorship of Radical Bulletin following Peter Hain's move to Labour. By-election When the Conservative MP Robert Taylor died, who had represented Croydon North-West since 1970, Pitt was quickly chosen as the prospective Liberal candidate for the following by-election. As a bearded local government officer, Pitt