The Duke entered Parliament soon after becoming Duke of Bedford in 1732 following the death of his brother. A prominent Whig, he was made Lord of the Admiralty and sworn in as a privy councillor in 1744. He was also Lord Justice of Great Britain in 1745, 1748 and 1750. Having been made a Knight of The Garter in 1748 he left England to beome Lord Lieutenant of Ireland in 1756. The Prime Minister Henry Pelham complained that he was 'all jollity, boyishness and vanity' and it was commented on at the time that he was more keen on cricket that politics however, as Lord Lieutenant of Ireland his warm character and lavish entertaining were appreciated. He also arranged relief for the poor who suffered from the failure of the potato crop and moreover was strongly in favour of relaxing the discriminatory laws against catholics. After his return from Ireland he was later made Ammbassador to France in 1762