 In 1871 he went to Geneva during the arbitration between the United Kingdom and the USA on the "Alabama" claims.He was later private secretary to Foreign Secretary Lord Granville between 1880 and 1885, Senior Clerk at the Foreign Office between 1885 and 1889, Assistant Permanent Under-Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs between 1889 and 1894 and Permanent Under-Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs between 1894 and 1906.On 20 December 1905 he was raised to the peerage as Baron Sanderson, of Armthorpe in the County of York.