Brooks was the son of
Samuel Brooks, a banker of Manchester and his wife Margaret Hall daughter of Thomas Hall. After his education at
Rugby and
St John's College, Cambridge he was called to the
Bar at
Inner Temple in 1847. He went on the
Northern Circuit until the death of his father in 1864 when he became sole partner of
Cunliffe Brooks and Co,
Manchester. He opened Brooks and Co., 81
Lombard Street, London. He was a
J.P. for Lancashire, Cheshire and Manchester, and
deputy lieutenant for Lancashire and Aberdeen. and at the
1885 general election he unsuccessfully contested the new
Macclesfield division. The
baronetcy was conferred on him on 4 March 1886. At the
1886 election he was elected as MP for
Altrincham, holding the seat until he stood down at the
1892 general election. Brooks was a notable benefactor to
Sale, Cheshire;
Hale, Greater Manchester; and
Chorlton-cum-Hardy. He was elected to membership of the
Manchester Literary and Philosophical Society on 23 January 1844, He had a major influence on the estate of
Glen Tanar, near
Aboyne in
Aberdeenshire. At first he leased the estate from
Charles Gordon, 11th Marquess of Huntly, who married his elder daughter. He then bought the estate in 1890. Brooks lavished money on Glen Tanar, building a large house, cottages for estate workers, a school, stables and kennels. He also installed numerous carved stones and memorials in the surrounding countryside, many of which make playful references to his name or celebrate the virtues of drinking water rather than alcohol. Brooks died at Glen Tana (as he preferred to spell the name) at the age of 80. ==Family==