A graduate of Wesleyan University, Middleton, Connecticut, he was admitted to the American Bar Association in October of 1877. He was a member of Psi Upsilon of New York, a charter member of the Rising Star Lodge No. 49 I.O.O.F, The Authors' Club of London, England, and a member of the Connecticut Society of the Sons of the American Revolution. A US Senator representing the 23rd District of Connecticut, he served from 1893 to 1894, earlier serving as a Republican member of Connecticut's House of Representatives during 1885. From 1897 to 1899 he was the Secretary of State for Connecticut. All the while, from the creation of the office of county coroner in 1883, he served in that capacity at Tolland County for twenty one years until his appointment as State's Attorney. He was the state of Connecticut's first Attorney General, serving as such four years, 1899 to 1903. During this time, not only did he serve for many years as a member of the State Board of Examiners for applicants to Connecticut Bar Association, but he was also Corporate Counsel, City of Rockville from 1890 to 1892, the prosecuting attorney for the city from 1890 to 1897 and state's attorney for Tolland County from 1904 to 1915. He was also a 1902 delegate to the Connecticut State Constitutional Convention. He became a Director of Rockville National Bank on January 13, 1903 and it's Vice President on June 24, 1915. He was also a respected citizen of his community, serving as Trustee and Vice President of Rockville Public Library and as Trustee and President of the George Sykes Manual Training School. He held the position as president of the Connecticut Bar Association from 1914 to 1916 and was Tolland County Bar Association president. He received the degree of Master of the Arts from Wesleyan University.