He spent his early years in Rowe, Massachusetts, where his father was a clergyman at the local Unitarian Church.

[1] After school, Stearns studied law in the office of John Wells in Chicopee, Massachusetts.

[1][2] After Wells moved to Springfield, Massachusetts, Stearns continued to practice law in Chicopee for several years.

[1] In February 1886, Stearns was appointed by President Grover Cleveland to serve as United States Attorney for the District of Massachusetts.

The Hampden County Bar Association held a dinner in his honor before he left, but he was unable to attend due to ill health.