Born in Cumberland, Maryland, Hoffman attended the public schools and Allegany County Academy.
After his tenure in Congress, Hoffman served as treasurer of the Chesapeake & Ohio Canal Co. from 1858 to 1860.
Hoffman was elected Sergeant at Arms of the House of Representatives in the Thirty-sixth Congress and served from February 3, 1860, to July 5, 1861.
He was appointed by President Abraham Lincoln as collector of customs at Baltimore, Maryland, and served from 1861 to 1866.
This article incorporates public domain material from the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress