The brother of Lord Clarendon, Charles Villiers was the longest-serving Member of Parliament, sitting from 1835-1898. The son of the Honorable George Villiers and the Honorable Theresa, he became a barrister in 1827.

A reformer, Villiers ensured the Corn Laws were repealed, was a member of the British and Foreign Anti-Slavery Society, and was President of the Poor Law Board from 1859-1866, under the Prime Ministerships of Lord Palmerston and Lord Russell. He supported women's suffrage, free trade, and Irish Home Rule.