Sidney Godolphin, 1st Earl of Godolphin

Sidney Godolphin, 1st Earl of Godolphin (1645-1712), English politician and administrator, born near Helston, Cornwall. As a page to Charles II in 1662 he formed a lifelong friendship with John Churchill, who later became the first Duke of Marlborough. Elected to Parliament in 1668 and considered an authority on finance, Godolphin was appointed to the Privy Council, the king's most important group of advisers, in 1679. In 1684 he was made a baron and lord of the treasury under James II.

After James was deposed in the Glorious Revolution of 1688, Godolphin was reinstated in office by the new king, William III, even though Godolphin had opposed William's assumption of the throne. However, both Godolphin and Marlborough remained in contact with supporters of the exiled James, who launched several plots to overthrow William. Godolphin resigned in 1696 after the attempted assassination of William, but was reappointed in 1700 and continued in office after the accession of Queen Anne in 1702. He gave financial support to Marlborough in the War of the Spanish Succession (1701-1714) and helped bring about the union of England and Scotland in 1707. However, dissatisfaction over the costly war and the prosecution of a popular antigovernment preacher, Henry Sacheverell, contributed to Godolphin's abrupt dismissal by the queen in 1710.

In private life Godolphin revolutionized English racehorse stock by importing Arab sires.