As a Hessian nobleman, he was a hereditary member of the Upper Chamber of the . During the revolutions of 1848, he was a member of the Vorparlaments. After the March Revolution, his hereditary positions were lost, but they were later regained and he once again served in the Upper Chamber from 1856 until his death. He was its Vice-President from 1866 to 1875, and its President from 1875 to 1885.