William Lowndes (1 November 1652 – 20 January 1724) was an English Whig politician who sat in the English and British House of Commons from 1695 to 1724. He served as Secretary to the Treasury during the reigns of King William III and Queen Anne.
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Early life
Lowndes was born in Winslow, Buckinghamshire on 1 November 1652. He was the son of Robert Lowndes and his second wife Elizabeth FitzWilliam. His father was descended from the Lowndes of Overton, Smallwood, and his grandfather had moved south to Buckinghamshire; other relatives settled in the Province of South Carolina. Lowndes was educated at the free school in Buckingham. He joined HM Treasury as a clerk, and eventually acquired ownership of Bury Manor in Chesham in 1687.
Political career
Lowndes was returned unopposed as a Member of Parliament for Seaford in Sussex, a "limb" of the Cinque Ports, at the 1695 general election. He was returned unopposed for Seaford for every election until 1715. He served as chairman of the Committee of Ways and Means, becoming known throughout Britain as "Ways and Means Lowndes".
Lowndes also became Secretary to the Treasury in 1695. His Report containing an essay for the amendment of the silver coins, written during the crisis of 1695, was answered by John Locke, whose views on the reform of the currency prevailed. He became wealthy as a result of holding office in the Treasury. In 1700, he built Winslow Hall in Winslow, Buckinghamshire.