Born at Redland near Bristol, Broughton was the eldest son of Sir Benjamin Hobhouse, 1st Baronet, and Charlotte, daughter of Samuel Cam.

Hobhouse was present at the Battle of Dresden in August 1813, and, following the Coalition armies into France, he saw Louis XVIII enter Paris in May 1814.

[4] In February 1819 Hobhouse was the Radical candidate at a by-election for the representation of the City of Westminster, but he failed to secure election.

[4] In parliament Hobhouse proved a valuable recruit to the Reform party,[4] and is credited with the invention of the phrase His Majesty's (Loyal) Opposition made in 1826 during a speech in the House of Commons.

[6] Having succeeded his father as 2nd baronet in 1831, Hobhouse was appointed secretary at war in the Whig administration of Lord Grey in February 1832, and was made a Privy Councillor.

[4][7] He effected some reforms and economies during his tenure of this office (he was responsible for the passing of the Vestry Act 1831), but, unable to carry out all his wishes.

He had only held this post for a few weeks when, in consequence of his refusal to vote with the government against the abolition of the Doors and Windows Tax, he resigned both his office and his seat in parliament.

In Melbourne's government of 1835 he was President of the Board of Control, in which position he strongly supported the Indian policy of Lord Auckland.

[9][10] In 1852 Hobhouse was also made a Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath (GCB),[11] and took little part in political life, being mainly occupied in literary pursuits and in correspondence.