[1] In 1880, Akers-Douglas was elected as Conservative Member of Parliament for East Kent and held it until it was divided under the Redistribution of Seats Act 1885.

In 1883, Akers-Douglas was appointed whip to the Conservatives, where he proved highly effective in keeping the back-benchers in line and working with the party leader Lord Salisbury.

[3] He became Parliamentary Secretary to the Treasury, and retained this post (with a short interval in 1886 when Gladstone returned to power) for the next seven years.

During the First World War, Lord Chilston was Chief County Director for the British Red Cross Society and St John Ambulance, in recognition of which he was appointed Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the British Empire (GBE) in the 1920 civilian war honours.

He died at his London home in January 1926, aged 74, and was buried at Boughton Malherbe, Kent.