His father was part of the Immortal Seven who brought to power William of Orange as the new King of England, replacing the House of Stuart.

He acted as a teller on the petition of defeated Whig candidates at Coventry and later voted for the naturalization bill in 1709 and for the impeachment of Dr Sacheverell in 1710.

[1] Cavendish was returned as MP for Derby at the 1715 general election and voted for the septennial bill in 1716 and the repeal of the Occasional Conformity and Schism Acts in 1719.

In the latter parliament he took an independent line, and voted against the government on the Hessians 1730, the army 1732, and the repeal of the Septennial Act 1734, but with them on the Civil List 1729, and the Excise Bill 1733.

He was returned unopposed at the 1741 general election, but on 8 March 1742 he vacated his seat to take up the post of Auditor of Foreign Accounts or Imposts in Ireland.