He graduated from Williams College in 1825, studied law with Harmanus Bleecker in Albany, and settled in New York City.

[3] To cope with his grief, he paused his law practice, traveled to Europe for over a year[3] and focused on investigating the courts, procedure, and codes of England, France and other countries.

He then returned to the United States and labored to bring about a codification of its common law procedure.

[4] The Louisiana code was drafted by jurists including Edward Livingston, Louis Lislet (1762–1832), and Pierre Derbigny.

"[6] He began by outlining his proposed reforms in pamphlets, professional journal articles, and legislative testimony, but met with a discouraging lack of interest.

In 1846, Field's ideas gained wider notice with publication of a pamphlet, "The Reorganization of the Judiciary", which influenced that year's New York State Constitutional Convention to report in favor of a codification of the laws.

In 1847 he finally had a chance to put his ideas into official form when he was appointed head of a state commission to revise court procedure and practice.

The first part of the commission's work, a portion of the code of civil procedure, was reported and enacted by the legislature in 1848.

[2] For example, although Field's civil code was repeatedly rejected by his home state of New York (due in large part to the opposition of James C. Carter to Field's ideas),[6][12][13] it was later adopted in large part by the states of California, Idaho, Montana, North Dakota, and South Dakota, as well as the territory of Guam many years later.

[2] Field was originally an anti-slavery Democrat, and he supported Martin Van Buren in the Free Soil campaign of 1848.

In a second trial in November 1873, Tweed received a sentence of twelve years in prison and a $12,750 fine from judge Noah Davis.

[15] After 1876, Field returned to the Democratic Party, and from January to March 1877 served in the United States House of Representatives to complete the unexpired term of Smith Ely, who had been elected Mayor of New York City.