Perkins ran away to sea at age twelve, eventually arriving in San Francisco in 1855.

After making an unsuccessful effort at staking a mining claim in Butte County, Perkins worked a succession of jobs in Sacramento and the mining town of Oroville, including driving a mule team and working as a store clerk.

[2] Leaving his Oroville business to be operated by his brother, Perkins moved to San Francisco in 1875 and expanded his interests in the shipping industry.

[3] Perkins was appointed to the Senate by Governor Henry Markham in 1893 following the death of Leland Stanford.

An avid reader of poetry, Ruth Perkins had several poems of her own published in magazines and newspapers.