[1] He was born in Westminster Township, Middlesex County, Upper Canada in 1829,[1] the son of Samuel Glass, who had come to Upper Canada from Ireland in 1819,[2] and Eliza Owrey.

Glass was called to the bar in 1864 and set up practice in London.

He moved to Winnipeg in 1882, was called to the Manitoba bar later that year[2] and was elected to the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba for St. Clements in 1886, serving from 1887 to 1888; he was also Speaker of the Legislative Assembly from 1887 to 1888.

[2] He later lived in Rossland, British Columbia and Spokane, Washington,[3] where he died in 1906.

[4] Glass was buried at Mount Pleasant Cemetery in London, Ontario.