He studied law, first in Potsdam, then with Job Pierson in Troy; was admitted to the bar in Albany in 1851; and, going south to recover from lung disease, commenced practice in St. Augustine, Florida in partnership with Isaac H. Bronson.

In 1856, he returned to New York, and resumed the practice of law at Canton.

He married Anna Maria Redington (1835–1904), and they had six children.

In 1865, he moved to New York City, and the next year to Brooklyn.

[1] He died of "paralysis" at his home at 7 Montague Terrace, in Brooklyn, and was buried at the Green-Wood Cemetery in Brooklyn.