He was elected to the Legislative Council of Western Australia in May 1916, representing North-East Province, but died after less than a month in office.
[1] He came to Western Australia in 1895, during the gold rush, and subsequently worked as a prospector in the Mount Margaret district.
He first ran for parliament at the 1911 election, but lost a Labor preselection ballot to George Foley in the seat of Mount Leonora.
He also contested Labor preselection for North-East Province in 1912 and 1914, losing to Dick Ardagh and Harry Millington, respectively.
He had suffered from heart trouble for some time, and died in Boulder less than a month after his term began, without ever taking his seat.