In his youth he wrote light articles for newspapers; he became a successful lawyer and was appointed a Queen's Counsel in 1827.
In 1820 he was elected to Parliament, where, with some interruptions, he sat until 1841, holding the office of Under-Secretary of State for War and the Colonies in 1828–1830.
In 1844 he was appointed vice-chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, a well-paid post which enabled him to enjoy his popularity in London society.
For some years he wrote for The Times, in which he first compiled the parliamentary summary, and his daughter married first Francis Bacon (d. 1840) and then J. T. Delane, both of them editors of that paper.
He was the author of The Public and Private Life of Lord Chancellor Eldon, and other volumes.