 He was elected to the House of Commons for Shaftesbury in 1841, a seat he held until 1845, when he succeeded his father in the earldom and entered the House of Lords.On 17 February 1845, he was appointed a Deputy Lieutenant of Wiltshire, and on 14 March 1853, a Deputy Lieutenant of the West Riding of Yorkshire.Lord Effingham married Eliza Drummond, daughter of General Sir Gordon Drummond, in 1832.