[7] Lodge was a political reporter and columnist at the Boston Herald prior to entering federal civil service.

In 1958, he was appointed Assistant Secretary of Labor for International Affairs by Dwight D. Eisenhower,[8] and was re-appointed by John F. Kennedy in 1961.

Previously, Lodge's father was the incumbent 1952 U.S. Senate candidate from Massachusetts against John F. Kennedy for the same seat.

In 1961, Lodge became a member of the Harvard Business School faculty, leaving to run for office in 1962, before returning the following year.

He conducted research, published articles, and received honorary fellowships and distinctions in the latter parts of his career.