In 1848, he entered politics as a Free Soiler, and was trustee of the Village of Ithaca for two years.

[3] Schuyler, who was elected on the Union ticket nominated by the Republicans and War Democrats, served from 1864 to 1865.

He was appointed by Governor Reuben Fenton as the superintendent of the New York State Banking Department, and served from 1866 to 1871.

After serving in the Assembly, he was appointed by Governor Samuel J. Tilden as auditor of the Canal Department,[5] a position he held for nearly five years.

[7] In 1885, he published Colonial New York: Philip Schuyler and His Family (Charles Scribner's Sons; 2 volumes), a valuable resource of Dutch origins, history, and genealogy in the Albany region.