William Pitt the Younger however, was comfortable with Shelburne, and thus joined his government; he was appointed Chancellor of the Exchequer. Fox, who became Pitt's lifelong political rival, then joined a coalition with Lord North, with whom he collaborated to bring about the defeat of the Shelburne administration. When Lord Shelburne resigned in 1783, King George III, who despised Fox, offered to appoint Pitt to the office of prime minister. But Pitt wisely declined, for he knew he would be incapable of securing the support of the House of Commons. The Fox–North coalition rose to power in a government nominally headed by William Cavendish-Bentinck,
Thomas Pitt, 1st Earl of Londonderry Thomas Pitt, 1st Earl of Londonderry Thomas Innes Pitt, 1st Earl of Londonderry (c. 1688 – 12 September 1729) was a British politician. He served as Governor of the Leeward Islands from 1728 to 1729. Pitt was the second son of Thomas Pitt, of Boconnoc, and his wife Jane Innes, daughter of James Innes. William Pitt the Elder was his nephew and William Pitt the Younger his great-nephew. Pitt sat as a Member of Parliament for Wilton from 1713 to 1727 and for Old Sarum from 1727 to 1728. The latter year he was appointed Governor of the Leeward Islands,