Charles Pratt, 1st Earl Camden

The Right Honourable The Earl Camden PC
Charles Pratt, 1st Earl Camden by Nathaniel Dance
Lord High Chancellor of Great Britain
In office 30 July 1766 – 17 January 1770
Monarch	George III
Prime Minister	The Earl of Chatham The Duke of Grafton
Preceded by	The Earl of Northington
Succeeded by	Charles Yorke
Lord President of the Council
In office 27 March 1782 – 2 April 1783
Monarch	George III
Prime Minister	The Marquess of Rockingham The Earl of Shelburne
Preceded by	The Earl Bathurst
Succeeded by	The Viscount Stormont
In office 1 December 1784 – 18 April 1794
Monarch	George III
Prime Minister	William Pitt the Younger
Preceded by	The Earl Gower
Succeeded by	The Earl Fitzwilliam
Personal details
Born	before (1714-03-21)21 March 1714 Kensington, London, England
Died	18 April 1794(1794-04-18) (aged 80)
Alma mater	King's College, Cambridge

Charles Pratt, 1st Earl Camden, PC (baptised 21 March 1714 – 18 April 1794) was an English lawyer, judge and Whig politician who was first to hold the title of Earl Camden. As a lawyer and judge he was a leading proponent of civil liberties, championing the rights of the jury, and limiting the powers of the State in leading cases such as Entick v Carrington.

He held the offices of Chief Justice of the Common Pleas, Attorney-General and Lord High Chancellor of Great Britain, and was a confidant of Pitt the Elder, supporting Pitt in the controversies over John Wilkes and American independence. However, he clung to office himself, even when Pitt was out of power, serving in the cabinet for fifteen years and under five different prime ministers.

During his life, Pratt played a leading role in opposing perpetual copyright, resolving the regency crisis of 1788 and championing Fox's Libel Bill. He started the development of the settlement that was later to become Camden Town in London.