Sutherland was unhappy with this form of service, so that year obtained permission to attend the Philadelphia Military School, where they were training officers to command "colored" regiments.

In 1874, he moved to the city of Fond du Lac, and partnered with Judge David Taylor until he was elected to the Wisconsin Supreme Court in 1878.

[1] In 1879, Sutherland was elected to represent Fond du Lac County in the Wisconsin State Senate on the Republican Party ticket.

[2] He also served as postmaster for Fond du Lac from 1883 to 1885, but was removed by President Grover Cleveland for "offensive partisanship.

[1][3] Sutherland was a member of the Military Order of the Loyal Legion of the United States and the Grand Army of the Republic.

[1] Sutherland died suddenly of heart disease in Chicago, Illinois, while coming home from a foreign trip.