He was educated at Wath-on-Dearne Comprehensive School in Rotherham, Magdalen College, Oxford and INSEAD Business School, France.  Whilst at Oxford, he was President of the Union and of the University Conservative Association.

Before entering Parliament, he worked for Shell UK and McKinsey & Co.

William Hague has been the MP for Richmond, Yorkshire since 1989.

Whilst in Government, William was 

• Parliamentary Private Secretary to the Rt Hon Norman Lamont MP
• Chancellor of the Exchequer from 1990-93
• Joint Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State at the DSS from 1993-94
• Minister of State, DSS (with responsibility for Social Security and Disabled People) from 1994-95. 

William joined the Cabinet in 1995 as Secretary of State for Wales.

He served as Leader of the Conservative Party from 1997 to 2001. When Leader, he was elected Chairman of the International Democrat Union, the global alliance of Conservative, Christian Democrat and like-minded parties.

William married Ffion Jenkins in December 1997.