Outlaw, born near Windsor, North Carolina, in Bertie County, was educated by private teachers and in the common schools.
He engaged in agricultural and mercantile pursuits and was elected to the North Carolina House of Commons for a term in 1796 to 1797.
Outlaw was defeated in his campaign for re-election by Willis Alston in a three-way race.
Alston, who had served previously from 1799 to 1815, criticized Outlaw's vote for William H. Crawford in the contingent presidential election of 1825.
[1] Afterwards, he resumed agricultural and mercantile pursuits and died in Windsor in 1825, where he is buried in his family cemetery.