In 1939 and 1943, he was elected as a CHP Member of Parliament for Kayseri and served as the Minister of Customs and Monopoly in the 2nd Şükrü Saracoğlu cabinet.

He held this position from March 9, 1943, to February 13, 1946, before stepping away from politics for a while.

In 1950, he returned to the Grand National Assembly of Turkey (TBMM) and served as a Democratic Party Member of Parliament for Kayseri until 1952.

He also held the position of Vice President at the European Consultative Assembly.

In 1952, Ürgüplü resigned from TBMM and became the Ambassador to Bonn.

He was later appointed as Ambassador to London in 1955, Washington in 1959, and Madrid in 1960.

Participating in the 1961 elections, he was elected as a Justice Party Senator for Kayseri.

Ürgüplü became the first President of the Republic Senate, holding this position from October 28, 1961, to November 6, 1963.

After completing this role, following İsmet İnönü’s resignation as Prime Minister in 1965, he led the coalition government under the Justice Party from February 20 to October 27, 1965, as Prime Minister.

In 1966, he was elected as a quota senator and continued in this role until 1972.

Suat Hayri Ürgüplü was the 14th Prime Minister of Turkey, forming the country's 29th government.

He was also an active member of Galatasaray Sports Club.

After Nihat Erim’s government resigned on April 17, 1972, President Cevdet Sunay first tasked Suat Hayri Ürgüplü with forming a new government, but it could not be established due to a lack of sufficient support.

Suat Hayri Ürgüplü passed away on December 26, 1981, after suffering from heart disease for 13 years. He is buried at Edirnekapı Martyrs' Cemetery.