During the American Civil War, he raised a regiment of infantry and served as lieutenant-colonel during their training.

[4] His father was a surgeon in the U.S. Army and served in the First Seminole War under General Jackson and was wounded at Fort Scott.

[6] After the American Civil War broke out in 1861, Snowden assisted in raising a regiment of Pennsylvania volunteer infantry and was commissioned Lieutenant colonel.

[11] In 1879,[12] he became the Chief Executor in the Philadelphia Mint and served in that role until Grover Cleveland's election in 1885.

[5] In 1889, Snowden succeeded Walker Fearn and served simultaneously as the United States Minister to Greece, Romania, and Serbia from 1889 to 1892.

[14] From 1892 to 1893, he served as the United States Minister to Spain, succeeding Edward Burd Grubb, Jr.[14] Snowden was the president of the Fairmount Park Commission.

In 1903, he was accused, along with Charles A. Porter, former State Senator, C. Kennedy Crossan, a contractor and Ludwig S. Filbert, of making illegal profits through the Danville Bessemer Company.