 He was appointed a deputy lieutenant of Buckinghamshire in 1901.In 1903, he was appointed Parliamentary Secretary to the Board of Trade, assisting the President of the Board of Trade, David Lloyd George.He was created a baronet, of Wittington in the Parish of Medmenham in the County of Buckingham, on 22 July 1908 and became a member of the Privy Council in 1909.