Constituency : Stafford 1880-86 , Bosworth 1892-1910
Charles took the second seat at Stafford alongside the Lib-Lab MP Alexander McDonald.
Charles was the son of the Edinburgh MP Duncan McLaren. He was educated at Heidelberg Bonn and Edinburgh University. He began working life as a journalist then took up law and became a barrister. He became the son-in-law of the wealthy industrial chemist Henry Pochin.
Charles supported Charles Bradlaugh's right to make an affirmation. He introduced a Compulsory Purchase of Land Compensation Bill .
In 1902 Charles was made a baronet.
In 1904 Charles introduced a motion on women's disabilities. During his speech he pointed out that working men's wages had risen steadily since they had the vote while women's wages had not. In 1906 Charles introduced a delegation of female suffragists to Campbell-Bannerman.
In 1908 Charles and the MP for Hartlepool Christopher Furness were in frequent contact with McKenna the First Lord of the Admiralty pleading for naval contracts to be placed with the naval yards at Jarrow. They were both directors of Palmers' Shipbuilding Company and Charles said "The whole town of 40,000 inhabitants is dependent on our ship-yard and would be ruined if we had to close our gates".
In 1909 he made a long speech in favour of Lloyd George's budget.
In 1911 Charles was raised to the peerage as Baron Aberconway.
Charles inherited his father's business empire in 1895 which included iron, coal, railways and shipbuilding.
Charles lived near the artist Whistler and bought many of his works.
He died in 1934 aged 83.
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