Sir Francis Drake, 1st Baronet (1588 - 11 March 1637) was an English politician who sat in the House of Commons

House of Commons of England

The House of Commons of England was the lower house of the Parliament of England from its development in the 14th century to the union of England and Scotland in 1707, when it was replaced by the House of Commons of Great Britain...

  in two parliaments between 1625 and 1629.

Drake was the son of Thomas Drake of Buckland Abbey

Buckland Abbey

Buckland Abbey is a 700-year-old house in Buckland Monachorum, near Yelverton, Devon, England, noted for its connection with Sir Francis Drake and presently in the ownership of the National Trust.-History:...

, Devon and his wife Elizabeth Gregory, widow of John Elford. His father was the brother of Sir Francis Drake

Francis Drake

Sir Francis Drake, Vice Admiral was an English sea captain, privateer, navigator, slaver, and politician of the Elizabethan era. Elizabeth I of England awarded Drake a knighthood in 1581. He was second-in-command of the English fleet against the Spanish Armada in 1588. He also carried out the...

 and accompanied him in his sea adventures. Drake was baptised at Buckland Monachorum on 16 September 1588. He matriculated at Exeter College, Oxford

Exeter College, Oxford

Exeter College is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England and the fourth oldest college of the University. The main entrance is on the east side of Turl Street...

 on 23 November 1604 aged 15, and was of Lincoln's Inn

Lincoln's Inn

The Honourable Society of Lincoln's Inn is one of four Inns of Court in London to which barristers of England and Wales belong and where they are called to the Bar. The other three are Middle Temple, Inner Temple and Gray's Inn. Although Lincoln's Inn is able to trace its official records beyond...

 in 1606. In 1622 King James sought to make up the money denied him by parliament, by seeking voluntary contributions from the county gentry. Following this, Drake was created baronet

Drake Baronets

There have been four Baronetcies created for people with the surname Drake, three in the Baronetage of England and one in the Baronetage of Great Britain....

 on 2 August 1622.

In 1624, Drake was elected Member of Parliament

Member of Parliament

A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...

 for Plympton Erle

Plympton Erle (UK Parliament constituency)

Plympton Erle, also spelt Plympton Earle, was a parliamentary borough in Devon. It elected two Members of Parliament to the House of Commons from 1295 until 1832, when the borough was abolished by the Great Reform Act.-1295-1640:-1640-1832:...

. He was elected MP for Devon

Devon (UK Parliament constituency)

Devon was a parliamentary constituency covering the county of Devon in England. It was represented by two Knights of the Shire, in the House of Commons of England until 1707, then of the House of Commons of Great Britain from 1707 to 1800 and finally the House of Commons of the United Kingdom from...

  in 1628 and sat until 1629 when King Charles decided to rule without parliament for eleven years. He was High Sheriff of Devon

High Sheriff of Devon

The High Sheriff of Devon is the Queen's representative for the County of Devon, a territory known as his bailiwick. Selected from three nominated people, he holds his office over the duration of a year. He has judicial, ceremonial and administrative functions and executes High Court...

 in 1633.

Drake married firstly Jane Bampfield who died in 1613, and secondly Joan Stroud, daughter of Sir William Stroud of Newnham. His son Francis

Sir Francis Drake, 2nd Baronet

Sir Francis Drake, 2nd Baronet was an English politician who sat in the House of Commons variously between 1646 and 1662...

succeeded to the baronetcy.