Acland was elected as the member of parliament (MP) for
Richmond, Yorkshire, in 1906, a seat he held until 1910, and later represented
Camborne from 1910 to 1922,
Tiverton from 1923 to 1924 and
North Cornwall from 1932 to 1939. He was
Parliamentary Private Secretary to
Richard Haldane, the
secretary of state for war, from 1906 to 1908. He held government office in the Liberal Ministry of
H. H. Asquith firstly as
Financial Secretary to the War Office from 1908 to 1910. In 1911, he was promoted to
Under-Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs to work closely under
Sir Edward Grey. He remained in this position throughout the build-up of tensions in Europe which led to the outbreak of war. In February 1915, he was moved to the post of
Financial Secretary to the Treasury before being moved again, when Asquith formed his coalition. in June 1915 to
Parliamentary Secretary to the Board of Agriculture and Fisheries to accommodate Unionist nominees. In 1915, he was sworn of the
Privy Council. In 1917, he was appointed Chairman of the Departmental Committee "to inquire into the extent and gravity of the evils of dental practice by persons not qualified under the Dentists Act [1878]." Based on the recommendations of this committee a bill was introduced into parliament which eventually became the
Dentists Act 1921 (
11 & 12 Geo. 5. c. 21) which established the Dental Board of the United Kingdom. Acland was appointed its first chairman – a position he held until his death. Acland also was influential in setting up the
Forestry Commission and served as a commissioner until his death, a
Deputy Lieutenant of
Devon and a
justice of the peace for Devon and the
North Riding of Yorkshire. In 1926, he succeeded his father as fourteenth Baronet. ==Family==