born 1696
died March 6, 1754, London, Eng.
British prime minister (1743–54).
He was elected to Parliament in 1717 and, as a supporter of Newcastle . Pelham resisted attempts to prolong the War of the {{link=Austrian Succession, War of the">Austrian Succession and signed the Treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle (1748). After the war, he introduced financial reforms, including lower military expenditures, a reduced land tax, and a consolidation of the national debt.