His father had, previously, served in the Mexican-American War as a non-commissioned officer, and had been a merchant in Springfield, Massachusetts.

[1] His primary education was in Dodge County public schools, and supplemented by a course he took at the College of Milwaukee.

[2] He practiced general law with his partnership until he was elected a Judge on the Circuit Court of Illinois in Cook County in November 1893.

[1] Thrice on the court, he was assigned to be the umpire of the board of arbitration, dealing with disputes between the bricklayers' and stonemasons' associations and their employers.

[2][3] In January 1904, he was appointed to the Superior Court of Cook County for an unexpired term ending that December.

[2] He unsuccessfully sought the Republican nomination in the 1900 Illinois gubernatorial election, being defeated by Richard Yates Jr. at the state convention by a thin margin.

[5][6] He was the unsuccessful Republican nominee in the 1901 Chicago mayoral election, losing to incumbent Carter Harrison Jr.