[1][2] When eligible, he was admitted to the State Bar of Wisconsin and began practicing law in Racine County.

The Governor appointed the younger Belden to begin his term early and he was sworn into office on September 5, 1889.

On February 12, 1939, he was admitted to St. Mary's Hospital in Racine, suffering from heart disease and died a month later.

His father, Henry Ward Belden, served as an officer in the 24th Wisconsin Volunteer Infantry Regiment in the American Civil War.

[3][4] During World War I, Judge Belden was an active and effective campaigner for Liberty Loans, and his son, Stanley, served as an officer in the U.S.