 Lord Elton was a frequent speaker in the House of Lords and a member of several government committees.In 1939 Elton gave up his teaching fellowship at Queen's College and the same year he became secretary of the Rhodes Trust, a post he held until 1959.Elton was the author of several books, notably a biography of Ramsay MacDonald, entitled "The Life of James Ramsay MacDonald 1866-1919".