Sir Henry Vane (18 February 1589 – 1655), known as the Elder to distinguish him from his son, was an English politician who sat in the House of Commons at various times between 1614 and 1654. He served King Charles in many posts including secretary of state, but on the outbreak of the English Civil War joined the Parliamentary cause. He was the third cousin of Francis Fane, 1st Earl of Westmorland.

Vane was the eldest son of Henry Vane or Fane of Hadlow, Kent, by his second wife, Margaret (daughter of Roger Twysden of East Peckham, Kent, and Anne Wyatt).

He matriculated at Brasenose College, Oxford, on 15 June 1604 and was admitted a student of Gray's Inn in 1606. He was knighted by James I on 3 March 1611.

At the age of twenty-three he married Frances Darcy, daughter of Thomas Darcy of Tolleshunt D'Arcy, Essex. Immediately after his marriage, writes Vane in an autobiographical sketch, 'I put myself into court, and bought a carver's place by means of the friendship of Sir Thomas Overbury, which cost me £5,000.' Next year he devoted the £3,000 of his wife's portion to purchasing from Sir Edward Gorges a third part of the subpoena office in chancery, and later so ingratiated himself with the king that James gave him the reversion of the whole office for forty years.

In 1617, Sir David Foulis sold him the post of cofferer to Charles, Prince of Wales, and he continued to hold this office after Charles had become king. In about 1629 he became Comptroller of the Household in place of Lord Savile. Finally, in September 1639 he was made Treasurer of the Household.

Vane's career at court was interrupted by a quarrel with the Duke of Buckingham, from whom he underwent 'some severe mortification' mentioned by Lord Clarendon, but he made his peace with Buckingham, and after Buckingham's death was in high favour with the Lord Treasurer, Lord Weston. In 1614, Vane was elected Member of Parliament for Lostwithiel. He was elected MP for Carlisle in 1621, and was re-elected in 1624, 1625 and 1626. However he took no important part in the debates of the House of Commons of England.

In February and again in September 1629, and in 1630, King Charles sent Vane to Holland in the hope of negotiating a peace between the United Provinces and Spain, and obtaining the restoration of the Electorate of the Palatinate by Spanish means. In September 1631, Vane was sent to Germany to negotiate with Gustavus Adolphus of Sweden. As King Charles merely offered the king of Sweden £10,000 per month, and expected him to pledge himself to restore the Palatinate, Gustavus rejected the proposed alliance. Vane's negotiations were also hindered by a personal quarrel with Gustavus, but he gave great satisfaction to his own master. Lord Cottington wrote to Vane "Through your wise and dexterous carriage of that great business, you have saved his majesty's money and his honour".

A letter from Sir Tobias Matthew to Vane, written about the same time, adds further testimony of Vane's favour at court. Clarendon, who is throughout very hostile to Vane, describes him as a man 'of very ordinary parts by nature, and he had not cultivated them at all by art, for he was very illiterate. But being of a stirring and boisterous disposition, very industrious and very bold, he still wrought himself into some employment.'