The son of William Thomas Silvester and Kathleen Gertrude (née Jones), Silvester was born in
Hackney, London on 20 September 1933. He was educated at
Sir George Monoux Grammar School,
Walthamstow, and
Sidney Sussex College, Cambridge, where he achieved a first class in Part I of the history
tripos and a lower second in Part II of the law tripos, graduating in 1954. He was called to the
bar at
Gray's Inn in 1957, and became a Conservative member of
Walthamstow Borough Council four years later. He was returned to
Parliament at the
February 1974 general election as MP for
Manchester Withington, and held that seat but he was defeated at the
1987 general election by
Labour's Keith Bradley. As an Opposition
Whip during
Harold Wilson's second government (1974–76), == References ==