Egerton was the son of Wilbraham Egerton and Elizabeth, daughter of Sir Christopher Sykes, 2nd Baronet.
Egerton sat as Member of Parliament for Macclesfield from 1852 to 1868 and for Cheshire East from 1868 to 1869.
He served under the Earl of Derby and later Benjamin Disraeli as Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs between 1866 and 1868.
Egerton married Lady Mary Frances, daughter of Charles Pierrepont, 2nd Earl Manvers, in 1845.
Lady Mary remained a widow until her death in June 1905.