Born in Catskill, New York, Hill attended private schools as a child.

He later engaged in mercantile pursuits, was postmaster of Boonton from 1849 to 1853, was a member of the town committee from 1852 to 1856 and was Justice of the Peace from 1856 to 1861.

During the Civil War, Hill took an active part in raising troops for the Union Army.

He was a delegate to the 1868 Republican National Convention and resumed mercantile pursuits from 1873 to 1876 when he retired.

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