Constituency : Plymouth 1906-10
Charles was the other Liberal victor at Plymouth.
Charles contested Salford West in 1900. He was Honorary Secretary of the Free Trade Union. He was also a regular member of the Political Economy Cub.
In 1908 Charles became PPS to Runciman at the Board of Education. He was strongly opposed to female suffrage, regarding his views as "rooted in the nature and the lives of women, and in the ancient, universal custom of mankind".
Charles held his seat in January 1910 and Asquith considered him for Chief Whip but was dissuaded by the outgoing postholder Jack Pease who felt that Charles was too soft on the Lords. Instead he became Financial Secretary to the War Office.
Charles was defeated in December 1910.
In 1917 Charles was knighted. That year he tried to return to Parliament at the Salford North by-election. He was defeated by Ben Tillett standing as an Independent Labour candidate.
Although Charles supported Lloyd George in 1917 he did stand in 1918 and in 1922 stood for Aberdeen South as an Asquithian. In 1923 he was pushed into third place there by a Labour candidate.
In 1930 Charles published Mr Lloyd George, a Study an entirely negative work about his party leader and, in 1932, Herbert Gladstone, a Memoir which was more sympathetic.
He died in 1947 aged 84.
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