William Pitt the Younger

Maiden speech, February 26, 1781 Aged 21 and seated for Appleby only weeks earlier, Pitt rose in support of Burke's plan of economical reform, a measure to cut the Crown's patronage. Burke's verdict, usually reported as not a chip off the old block but the old block itself, a nod to Pitt's father, the Earl of Chatham, became one of the most quoted compliments a first speech has received. Lord North called it the best first speech he had ever heard. It is the earliest speech here and the template for the debut that announces a future leader on the spot.