William IV of The United Kingdom

William IV ( 21 August 1765 – 20 June 1837) was King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and of Hanover from 26 June 1830 until his death on 20 June 1837.

William, the third son of George III and younger brother and successor to George IV , was the last king and penultimate monarch of the House of Hanover

His experiences in the navy seem to have been little different than those of other midshipmen doing his share of the cooking and getting arrested with his shipmates after a drunken brawl on Gibraltar

William became a Lieutenant in 1785 and Captain of HMS Pegasus the following year.

In late 1786, he was stationed in the West Indies under Horatio Nelson, who wrote of William, "In his professional line, he is superior to two-thirds. In attention to orders,I hardly know his equal.“

William sought to be made a Duke, and to receive Parliamentary grant. To put pressure on him, William threatened to run for the House of Commons for the constituency of Totnes in Devon. Appalled at the prospect of his son making his case to the voters, George III created him Duke of Clarence and St Andrews and Earl of Munster on 16 May 1789

He allied himself publicly with the Whigs and his elder brothers.William's record was inconsistent and cannot, like many politicians of the time, be certainly ascribed to a single party.

SERVICE AND POLITICS

The newly created Duke ceased his active service in the Royal Navy in 1790.When the United Kingdom declared war on France in 1793, he was anxious to serve his country and expected a command, but was not given a ship, perhaps at first because he had broken his arm by falling down some stairs drunk, but later because he gave a speech in the House of Lords opposing the war. The following year he spoke in favour of the war, expecting a command after his change of heart. None came. The Admiralty did not even reply to his request.

When he was made an admiral in 1798, the rank was purely titular. He was never given a command throughout the Napoleonic Wars. In 1811, he was appointed to the honorary position of Admiral of the Fleet.

Instead of serving at sea, he spent time in the House of Lords, where he spoke in opposition to the abolition of slavery, which although not legal in the United Kingdom still existed in the British colonies.

His experience in the West Indies lent gravitas to his position, which was perceived as well-argued and just by some of his contemporaries.

In his speech to the House of Lords, the Duke insulted the leading abolitionist, saying "the proponents of the abolition are either fanatics or hypocrites, and in one of those classes I rank Mr. Wilberforce". On other issues he was more liberal, such as supporting moves to abolish penal laws against dissenting Christians. He also opposed efforts to bar those found guilty of adultery from remarriage.