Oliver Street John, 5th Baron Street John of Bletso KB was an English politician who sat in the House of Commons from 1624 to 1629 and in the House of Lords from 1639.
Background
Street John was the son of Oliver Street John, 1st Earl of Bolingbroke and his wife Elizabeth Paulet, daughter of William Paulet. After his father"s elevation to the earldom of Bolingbroke he was known by the courtesy title Lord Saint John.
Career
He died fighting in the Parliamentary army in the English Civil War. He was admitted at Queens" College, Cambridge on 3 November 1615 and awarded Master of Arts in 1620. At the coronation of Charles I he was made Knight of the Bath (KB).
He was re-re-elected Member of Parliament for Bedfordshire in 1625 and 1626.
He was admitted at Lincoln"s Inn on 9 August 1627. In 1628, he was re-elected Member of Parliament for Bedfordshire and sat until 1629 when King Charles decided to rule without parliament for eleven years.
He acted with the popular party all the time he was in the House of Commons. In 1628 he visited Sir John Eliot in the Tower of London.
According to Clarendon, he "got himself well beloved by the reputation of courtesy and civility which he expressed towards all men," but had licentious habits, and had to seek license to travel abroad under an assumed name because of his financial embarrassments.
On 3 November 1639 Street John was summoned to the House of Lords by writ of acceleration as Baron Street John of Bletso as his father had been granted an Earldom in 1620. This was said to have been on the strength of a promise to support the king. However he always voted with the popular party, and when the Civil War broke out, he raised a regiment for Parliament, in which Oliver Cromwell"s eldest son, Oliver, served as cornet.
Early in October 1642 he occupied Hereford on behalf of Parliament, fortified the town, and refused admittance to King Charles when he appeared the on 8 October.
He then joined the army of the Earl of Essex. He died of wounds after the Battle of Edgehill on 23 October 1642.
Street John married Arabella Egerton, daughter of John Egerton, 1st Earl of Bridgewater, but had no male heirs. He had four daughters:
1.
Frances Street John married Sir William Beecher of Howberry.
2. Elizabeth Street John married George Bennett of Cotsback
3. Arabella Street John married Sir Edward Wyse of Sydenham
4.
Dorothy Street John married Francis Charlton of Apley Castle, Shropshire.
Membership
Useless Parliament; Happy Parliament. 2nd Parliament of King Charles I]
In 1624 Street John was elected Member of Parliament for Bedfordshire (being incorrectly listed as "Baron Street John of Bletsho").