William Beckford (novelist)

William Thomas Beckford was an English novelist, art critic, planter and politician. He was reputed at one stage to be England's richest commoner. The son of William Beckford and Maria Hamilton, daughter of the Hon. George Hamilton, he served as a Member of Parliament for Wells in 1784–1790 and Hindon in 1790–1795 and 1806–1820. Beckford is best known for writing the 1786 Gothic novel Vathek, for building the Fonthill Abbey in Wiltshire and Beckford's Tower in Bath, and for his extensive art collection.

1 October 1760

Born on the same birth day (1 October): Bob Boyd (baseball) • Conor Clifford • Gaby Mudingayi • Giacomo Barozzi da Vignola • Jana Henke • John Thomson (baseball) • Lauren Hill (basketball) • Mark Aizlewood • Mary Anna Custis Lee • Masato Nakamura • Morten Gunnar Larsen • Pierre Baillot • Saeed Ahmed (cricketer) • Sallust

Born in the same month (October 1760): Arnold Hermann Ludwig Heeren • August Neidhardt von Gneisenau • Henri de Saint-Simon • Hokusai