Santiago Creel Miranda was born on 11 December 1954. He is the son of René Creel (1921–2009), a founder of the National Action Party, and a French mother. His father was of Mexican, English, Irish, and Spanish descent, while his mother’s ancestry included German, German Jewish, Spanish, and Mexican roots. Due to his matrilineal Jewish lineage, he is considered Jewish by Jewish law. Creel is a descendant of the Creel-Terrazas family.
Creel pursued a legal education, earning a bachelor's degree in law from the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM). He continued his studies in the United States, completing graduate work at Georgetown University and obtaining a master's degree from the University of Michigan.
Creel’s political career gained significant momentum in 2000 when he ran for Head of Government of the Federal District. He narrowly lost the election to Andrés Manuel López Obrador. Despite this defeat, he was appointed to the cabinet of President Vicente Fox Quesada, serving as Secretary of the Interior from December 2000 until June 2005.
In June 2005, Creel resigned from his cabinet position to seek the PAN candidacy for the 2006 presidential election. He was defeated in the primary elections by Felipe Calderón, who eventually won the presidency. Following the primary, Creel was elected as a senator via proportional representation for the 60th and 61st Legislatures. During this tenure, he led the PAN delegation in the Senate until June 2008 and served as the President of the Senate of the Republic between 2007 and 2008.
Creel made a second bid for the presidency in the 2012 PAN primary. Although his high profile initially placed him at the top of the polls, he ultimately lost the nomination to Josefina Vazquez Mota.
In 2016, Creel returned to representative politics as one of seven PAN members elected by Mexico City voters to the Constituent Assembly of Mexico City. This body convened on 15 September 2016 to draft the city's constitution.
On 1 September 2021, Creel began serving as a federal deputy and assumed the presidency of the Congress of the Union and the board of directors of the Chamber of Deputies. He held these leadership roles until 14 August 2023, when he resigned to pursue the presidential nomination for the 2024 elections. Following his departure and subsequent transitions, Kenia López Rabadán was appointed as the President of the Chamber of Deputies on 2 September 2025.
Creel’s career is defined by his long-standing loyalty to the National Action Party and his presence in high-level federal positions across three decades. His statistical record includes serving in the leadership of both houses of the Congress of the Union: as President of the Senate (2007–2008) and President of the Chamber of Deputies (2021–2023). Beyond his political appointments, Creel is a father and husband; in 2008, he publicly acknowledged that he is the father of Constanza, the daughter of actress Edith González.