He was appointed manager of the House of Refuge in Hudson, New York, by Governor Cleveland and reappointed by David B. Hill in 1886.

Tracey was elected as a Democrat to the Fiftieth Congress to fill the vacancy caused by the death of Nicholas T. Kane.

He was reelected to the Fifty-first, Fifty-second, and Fifty-third Congresses and served from November 8, 1887, to March 3, 1895.

He was an unsuccessful candidate for reelection in 1894 to the Fifty-fourth Congress and resumed business activities in Albany and Rochester, New York.

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