Born in Talbot County, Maryland, Hodges attended the public schools and was graduated from Trinity College, Hartford, Connecticut, in 1829.

He moved to Carrollton, Illinois, in 1833 and resumed the practice of law, also engaging in the mercantile business for a short time.

He was also secretary and treasurer of the St. Louis, Jacksonville & Chicago Railroad in 1858, and afterward director for many years.

Hodges was elected as a Democrat to the Thirty-fifth Congress to fill the vacancy caused by the death of Thomas L. Harris and served from January 4 to March 3, 1859.

[1] This article incorporates public domain material from the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress