 He was elected to the House of Commons for Clitheroe in 1685, a seat he held until 1689, and then represented Preston from 1689 to 1690 and Lancashire from 1695 to 1702.He held the post of Groom of the Bedchamber to King William III from 1689 to 1702.In 1702, he succeeded his elder brother as 10th Earl of Derby and entered the House of Lords.