Sir William was a founding member of The Yacht Club.
William Curtis (1752-1829) was born in Wapping, the third son of Joseph Curtis, a sea biscuit manufacturer. William took over the family business with his older brother Timothy, and quickly expanded into other areas: whaling in Greenland, importing tea from China, banking and shipping.
A popular figure in Wapping, he became alderman for Tower ward (1783), Sheriff (1788-9), and Lord Mayor of London (1795-6). He was elected MP for the City of London in 1790, defending the interests of the Corporation and the business community, and providing City support for a succession of Tory governments until 1826. In the Napoleonic Wars he commanded the 9th regiment of London Volunteers, and became President of the Honourable Artillery Company. He was a Director of the West and East India Dock companies and president of Christ's Hospital.
In 1804 he moved to Ramsgate, where he built a large house and kept his yacht, Rebecca Maria, a converted dhow of 76 tons, which he sailed to Portugal in 1809 and St Petersburg in 1815, missing the Yacht Club's inaugural meeting.
He is described in the Dictionary of National Biography (2004) as 'a robust,coarse-featured, self-confident man of convivial habits and flamboyant tastes'; although mocked by opponents for his cockney accent and unpolished manners, he was accepted and liked in the highest circles, a trusted friend of King George IV, 'honest, generous, and public-spirited.'