Born in Fairhaven, Ohio, Caldwell was educated in the common schools of his native county and also by private teachers.

Caldwell was elected president of the Ohio League of Republican Clubs in 1887.

Caldwell was elected as a Republican to the Fifty-first, Fifty-second, and Fifty-third Congresses and served from March 4, 1889, until May 4, 1894, when he resigned.

Caldwell was elected judge of the court of common pleas in 1902, and served until his death in Cincinnati, Ohio, May 24, 1927.

This article incorporates public domain material from the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress