Francis Harvey was an English lawyer and 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...

  at various times between 1656 and 1661.

Harvey was the son of William Harvey of Weston Favell

Weston Favell

Weston Favell is a former village in the English town of Northampton, Northamptonshire.-Location:Since the Industrial Revolution and 20th Century, the town of Northampton has grown closer and closer to the village boundaries, such that it is an outer district of Northampton, near to several other...

, Northamptonshire and was baptised on 20 December 1611. He matriculated at St Edmund Hall, Oxford

St Edmund Hall, Oxford

St Edmund Hall is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England. Better known within the University by its nickname, "Teddy Hall", the college has a claim to being "the oldest academical society for the education of undergraduates in any university"...

 on 19 October 1627, aged 14 and was awarded B.A. on 11 June 1629. He was called to the bar at Middle Temple

Middle Temple

The Honourable Society of the Middle Temple, commonly known as Middle Temple, is one of the four Inns of Court exclusively entitled to call their members to the English Bar as barristers; the others being the Inner Temple, Gray's Inn and Lincoln's Inn...

 in 1637.

In 1656, Harvey 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 Northampton

Northampton (UK Parliament constituency)

Northampton was a parliamentary constituency centred on the town of Northampton which existed until 1974.It returned two Members of Parliament to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom until its representation was reduced to one member for the 1918 general election...

 in the Second Protectorate Parliament

Second Protectorate Parliament

The Second Protectorate Parliament in England sat for two sessions from 17 September 1656 until 4 February 1658, with Thomas Widdrington as the Speaker of the House of Commons...

. He was re-elected MP for Northampton in 1659 for the Third Protectorate Parliament

Third Protectorate Parliament

The Third Protectorate Parliament sat for one session, from 27 January 1659 until 22 April 1659, with Chaloner Chute and Thomas Bampfylde as the Speakers of the House of Commons...

.

In 1660, Harvey was elected MP for Northampton in the Convention Parliament but was unseated on petition on 21 Jun 1660. He was re-elected in 1661 for the Cavalier Parliament

Cavalier Parliament

The Cavalier Parliament of England lasted from 8 May 1661 until 24 January 1679. It was the longest English Parliament, enduring for nearly 18 years of the quarter century reign of Charles II of England...

in a double return. He was seated on 22 May 1661,but the election was declared void on 13 Jun 1661. He was treasurer of his Inn in 1667.

Harvey died at the age of 91. He was buried in the Temple church on 30 March 1703.

Harvey married Elizabeth Dickens, widow of St. Olave, Hart Street, London in 1665.