Charles Cavendish, who had earlier represented Aylesbury, Newtown, East Sussex, Youghal and Buckinghamshire in the House of Commons as a Liberal.

He served as Master of the Buckhounds from 1900 to 1901 in the Conservative administration of Lord Salisbury and was admitted to the Privy Council in 1901.

[4] His grandson, the fifth Baron, served as Joint Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Transport from 1959 to 1964 in the Conservative governments of Harold Macmillan and Alec Douglas-Home and was admitted to the Privy Council in 1964.

He served in the Conservative administration of John Major as Captain of the Yeomen of the Guard (Deputy Chief Government Whip in the House of Lords) from 1995 to 1997.

As a male-line descendant of the first Earl of Burlington, Baron Chesham is also in remainder to that title, which has been held by the Dukes of Devonshire since 1858.