ponsonby entered the house of commons in a by-election in 1831, sitting for bletchingley. in the general election two months later, he was returned for higham ferrers until constituency's disenfranchisement in 1832. he was returned to the house for derby in 1835 and represented it until june 1847, when he succeeded in the earldom on the death of his father. in 1832, ponsonby spent some at the british embassy in st petersburg and a year later, he became précis writer to lord palmerston. lord bessborough became a government minister when he was appointed master of the buckhounds under lord john russell in 1848, an office he held until the fall of the administration in 1852. he held the same office from 1852 to 1855 in lord aberdeen's coalition government, from 1855 to 1858 in lord palmerston's first administration and again from 1859 to 1866 in palmerston's and russell's second administrations. in january 1866 he was appointed lord steward of the household under russell, a post he held until the liberals lost power in june 1866, and again between 1868 and 1874 in william ewart gladstone's first administration.