Background
He was son of Sir Robert Henley of the Grange, near Arlesford, Hampshire, Member of Parliament for Andover in 1679, who married Barbara, daughter of Anthony Hungerford. The legal official Sir Robert Henley, master of the court of king"s bench, on the pleas side, was his grandfather.
Education
At Oxford he studied classical literature, particularly poetry.
Career
Out of the profits of this post Anthony inherited a fortune of more than £3,000 a year. Coming to London, Henley was welcomed by the wits, and was on good terms with the Earl of Dorset and Earl of Sunderland. After marrying he went into politics.
He sat for Andover from 1698 to 1700, and for Weymouth and Melcombe Regis from 5 February 1702.
Henley was a Whig, and Tory opponents made strenuous but unsuccessful efforts to displace him at Weymouth, and in 1710 they unsuccessfully petitioned against his return. On 14 December 1709 he moved the address to Queen Anne, urging some dignity in the church for Benjamin Hoadly, based on his justification of Revolution principles.
Henley was one of the foremost Whig wits who welcomed Jonathan Swift"s appearance in London life after the publication of the Tale of a Tub. He once said of Swift that he would be "a beast for ever, after the order of Melchisedeck", and Swift reported the witticism in the Journal to Stella.
Letters from Henley in 1708-1710 are in Swift"s The Purcells had patronage from Henley, who was musical.
He himself wrote several pieces for music, and almost finished Daniel Purcell"s opera of Alexander. Henley died of apoplexy in August 1711. Henley left three sons, of whom the eldest, Anthony, Member of Parliament for Southampton from 1727 to 1734, was a jester like his father.
And the younger sons were Robert Henley, 1st Earl of Northington, and Bertie, a churchman and prebendary of Bristol (died 1760).
One of Henley"s sisters married Sir Theodore Janssen, the other was the wife of Sir John Rogers, 2nd Baronet. The royal assent was given on 22 May 1712 to a bill arranging for the payment of the portions of Henley"s younger children.
From a letter written in 1733 it is apparent that Swift continued his friendship to the sons.
Membership
1st Parliament of Great Britain. 2nd Parliament of Great Britain. 3rd Parliament of Great Britain]
Samuel Garth dedicated to him his poem The Dispensary, and he was a member of the Kit-Cat Club.