He served as Chancellor of the Exchequer from 1545 to his death, having previously been Speaker of the House of Commons of England.

He was appointed attorney general in 1536 and by 1540 sworn of the privy council of Henry VIII, Edward VI, Mary and Elizabeth I.

He was knighted in June 1540 but gained no further preferment until 1545, when, having recommended himself to the king by his activity in forwarding a loan in London and other imposts, he was made Chancellor of the Exchequer.

A legend arose that he was riding to persecute Protestants when he heard the news that Queen Mary had died.

[3] He kept a country estate at Sissinghurst Castle, Kent, on property his grandfather, Thomas Baker, had purchased.

[citation needed] He died in London in December 1558 less than a month after the death of Queen Mary.