A native of Somerset, Pulteney embarked on his short political career on account of his financial debts, aiming to avoid creditors and gain a lucrative sinecure appointment.
[3] Pulteney's academic lifestyle while residing in Cambridge can be ascertained from the memoirs of Henry Gunning, as referenced by Lewis Namier who noted: There were a few men amongst the Masters of Arts of pretty high standing, who cultivated the acquaintance of the young nobility, and contrived to keep a handsome establishment, and live in a very expensive style, without any other apparent resources than their fellowships.
He cast his votes in that election for the two victorious candidates in the University constituency, Northite-aligned James Mansfield and Rockinghamite-aligned Lord John Townshend, and against Pitt the Younger.
[10][11] This created a near breach with his friend Rutland, leading Pulteney to intone in a December 1782 letter reproduced by Namier that: "I was then honored with by your Grace have done me injury in your opinion; but except in the Cambridge election where I was pre-engaged, I have never acted contrary to your wishes".
The letter, quoted by Namier, sees Pulteney expressed that: A bare existence in England out of a jail by means of Parliament is, I assure your Grace, no object with me in my present circumstances.
[13][14] Despite entering the Commons with the aim of receiving a sinecure in the Indies, he devoted himself to sending a series of sketches of parliamentarians and their activities to his benefactor in Dublin, who was serving by this point as Lord Lieutenant of Ireland.
[16] Pulteney would note to his benefactor at the steadily decreasing strength of the opposition under Charles James Fox which was termed by the Bramber MP as "the poor forlorn minority" which "seemed at last to join in the laugh at their ridiculous situation".
I took care, however, to get into no scrape ... but I certainly felt no more embarrassment than in a private room, and will venture to assure your Grace that you cannot employ any of your Members who will more readily speak on the Turnpike Bills of Leicestershire, Cambridgeshire, Grantham, Newark, Scarborough, or Bramber, whenever such business is before the House.
Pulteney died at age sixty-one from apoplexy at the Rainbow Coffee House situated in London and was buried in King's College Chapel, Cambridge.
Namier in writing on Pulteney's life and short political career considered him to be an intelligent and astute individual, terming him 'An Ordinary Man' in the House of Commons during the period.
Namier, however summed Pulteney up, writing that he was: A parasite throughout, he had sensed and recorded during his short parliamentary career the change that was coming over British politics.