He was a prominent and popular public figure in Nottingham and was an active force in his local Liberal Party, becoming Sheriff of Nottingham in 1852, at the age of only 28. In 1856 he was elected a town councillor and helped to set up the Nottingham Chamber of Commerce, of which he was a founder member, serving as President in 1867. From 1859, at the time of increased fear of an invasion by France, he was one of the select founding members of the local volunteer corps, the Robin Hood Rifles, joining in May 1859 and being promoted to Lieutenant in June and Captain five months later. A number of employees at Hine and Mundella (including Mundella's younger brother John, a senior manager there) volunteered for his company.