His grandfather was a native of Switzerland, came to South Carolina about 1720, and was killed during the American Revolution while defending his house against an attack by Tories.
He graduated from Yale University in 1804, a roommate and close friend of John Caldwell Calhoun.
After graduation, he studied at Litchfield Law School, and was admitted to the bar in 1808.
In 1830, he was elected to the United States House of Representatives and served in Congress for four years, first as a Jacksonian and from 1833 as a Nullifier.
Felder retired from the legal profession in 1830, and became a prosperous mill owner and planter.