John Drake (c.1556 – 11 April 1628) was an English politician who sat in the

House of Commons The House of Commons is the name for the elected lower house of the bicameral parliaments of the United Kingdom and Canada. In both of these countries, the Commons holds much more legislative power than the nominally upper house of parliament. ...

at various times between 1614 and 1626. Drake was the eldest son of Sir Bernard Drake, of

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and Mount Drake, Devon. He matriculated at

Hart Hall, Oxford Hertford College ( ), previously known as Magdalen Hall, is a constituent college of the University of Oxford in England. It is located on Catte Street in the centre of Oxford, directly opposite the main gate to the Bodleian Library. The colleg ...

in 1573, aged 17 and studied law at the

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in 1578. He succeeded his father in 1586. He sat on the bench as

Justice of the Peace A justice of the peace (JP) is a judicial officer of a lower or ''puisne'' court, elected or appointed by means of a commission ( letters patent) to keep the peace. In past centuries the term commissioner of the peace was often used with the sa ...

for Devon by 1601 to his death and for Dorset from 1614 to his death. He was appointed

High Sheriff of Devon The High Sheriff of Devon is the Queen's representative for the County of Devon, a territory known as his/her bailiwick. Selected from three nominated people, they hold the office for one year. They have judicial, ceremonial and administrative f ...

for 1604–05 and deputy-lieutenant for Devon from 1614 to his death. He was a member of the

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from 1612 and the

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from 1620. In 1614, he was elected

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for

Devon Devon ( , historically known as Devonshire , ) is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in South West England. The most populous settlement in Devon is the city of Plymouth, followed by Devon's county town, the city of Exeter. Devon is ...

. He was re-elected MP for Devon in 1621 and 1624. In 1625 he was elected MP for

Lyme Regis Lyme Regis is a town in west Dorset, England, west of Dorchester and east of Exeter. Sometimes dubbed the "Pearl of Dorset", it lies by the English Channel at the Dorset–Devon border. It has noted fossils in cliffs and beaches on the Herita ...

. He was elected MP for Devon again in 1626. 'Alumni Oxonienses, 1500–1714: Disbrowe-Dyve', Alumni Oxonienses 1500–1714: Abannan-Kyte (1891), pp. 406–439. Date accessed: 19 November 2011
/ref> Drake died and was buried at Musbury the same day on 11 April 1628. In or before 1585 he had married Dorothy, the daughter of William Button MP of

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, Wiltshire, with whom he had two sons and a daughter: John Drake (1591–1636), Mary Drake (1594–1643) and William Drake (1596–1640).

References

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Drake, John 1550s births 1628 deaths Alumni of Hart Hall, Oxford Members of the Middle Temple English MPs 1614 English MPs 1621–1622 English MPs 1624–1625 English MPs 1625 English MPs 1626 High Sheriffs of Devon Deputy Lieutenants of Devon Members of the Parliament of England (pre-1707) for Devon