George Savile Halifax

George Savile, 1st Marquess of Halifax, (11 November 1633 – 5 April 1695) was an English statesman and writer. He sat in the House of Commons of England in 1660 before being elevated to the House of Lords in 1668.

Background and early life, 1633–1667

Savile was born in Thornhill, in the West Riding of Yorkshire. He was the eldest son of Sir William Savile, 3rd Baronet, and his wife, Anne Coventry. Anne was the eldest daughter of Lord Keeper Thomas Coventry, 1st Baron Coventry. His father distinguished himself as a Royalist in the English Civil War and would die in 1644. Savile was also the nephew of Sir William Coventry, who is said to have influenced his political opinions, and of Lord Shaftesbury, afterwards his most bitter opponent, and great-nephew of the Earl of Strafford. He was the great-grandson of Sir George Savile of Lupset and Thornhill (created baronet in 1611).

Savile was educated at Shrewsbury School in 1643 while his mother was staying with her sister in Shropshire. He later travelled in France, where he attended a Huguenot academy in Paris; stayed in Angers and Orléans; and visited Italy and the Netherlands; and is believed to have studied in Geneva. He returned to England by 1652.

In 1660, Savile was elected Member of Parliament for Pontefract in the Convention Parliament, marking his only appearance in the Lower House. In the same year, he was made Deputy Lieutenant for the county of Yorkshire and Colonel of a foot regiment in the Yorkshire Militia.

In 1665, the Duke of York sought a peerage for Savile, but his request was successfully opposed by Clarendon, on the grounds of Savile's "ill-reputation amongst men of piety and religion." Clarendon's true motives may have stemmed from Savile's connections with Buckingham and Coventry. However, the honours were only deferred for a short time and were granted after Clarendon's fall on 31 December 1667, when Savile was created Baron Savile of Elland and Viscount Halifax.