Background
Standish was the son of Alexander Standish of Duxbury, educated at Queen"s College, Cambridge and trained in law at Gray"s Inn.
Standish was the son of Alexander Standish of Duxbury, educated at Queen"s College, Cambridge and trained in law at Gray"s Inn.
Standish was a zealous Parliamentarian. He inherited the family manors of Duxbury and Duxbury Hall in 1622, on the death of his father. He served as Prothonotary clerk of Common Bench for the Duchy of Lancaster from 1608 to 1635.
During that time he was elected Member of Parliament for Liverpool in 1626.
He was re-elected in November 1640 for the Long Parliament and held the seat until his death in 1642. Standish died at the age of 49 and was buried at Chorley chapel.
Standish was succeeded in turn by younger sons Alexander, a Roundhead colonel who died in 1648 and Richard, Member of Parliament for Lancashire and Preston, whose son and heir Richard was created a baronet in 1677.
Short Parliament]
In April 1640, he was elected Member of Parliament for Preston in the Short Parliament.