William Ewer (banker)

William Ewer
Born	c. 1720 England
Died	23 June 1789
Occupation(s)	Merchant, banker, legislator
Years active	1742–1789
Known for	Governor of the Bank of England (1781–1783), Member of Parliament for Dorchester (1765–1789)

William Ewer (circa 1720 – 23 June 1789) was an English merchant, banker, and legislator who represented constituencies in the House of Commons from 1765 until his passing in 1789.

He was the son of Henry Ewer of The Lea, Hertfordshire, and Hester Vandeput. In 1742, William and his brother Thomas took over the grocery enterprise previously owned by their uncle, Charles Ewer MP, maintaining its operations based in London. Additionally, they engaged in trade with Turkey as merchants.

Ewer joined the board of directors at the Bank of England in 1763 and remained in this role until his death. With backing from his cousin Lord Shaftesbury, the governor of the Levant Company, he was elected without opposition to serve as Member of Parliament for Dorchester in 1765. He successfully retained this seat during the general elections of 1768 and 1774. In 1779, he advanced to the role of Deputy Governor of the Bank of England.

He was returned unchallenged again in 1780 and subsequently replaced Daniel Booth as Governor of the Bank of England in 1781. While serving in Parliament, Ewer provided guidance on governmental borrowing and championed the extension of the Bank’s charter. His tenure as governor overlapped with the period known as the Bengal bubble crash spanning from 1769 to 1784. In 1783, he was succeeded by Richard Neave.

Ewer was a member of the St. Alban's Tavern group, which aimed to bring about a political reconciliation between William Pitt the Younger and Charles James Fox. He secured re-election as MP for Dorchester in 1784 and continued to advocate for commercial interests until his death on 23 June 1789.

See also

• Chief Cashier of the Bank of England