In addition to a strict fear of God instilled by his Presbyterian parents, he was educated in the Doylestown public schools, Lane Theological Seminary, and Washington College, Pennsylvania, before graduating from a law course at Transylvania University in 1837.
He began lobbying for a government position and following passage of the Arizona Organic Act was nominated to become United States Attorney for the newly formed territory.
Following confirmation, Titus resigned before taking up the position and was shortly thereafter nominated to replace John F. Kinney as Chief Justice of the Utah Territorial Supreme Court.
Based upon the recommendation of Richard C. McCormick, John N. Goodwin, and Coles Bashford, and due to his being the only candidate for the position, Titus was nominated to replace Henry T. Backus as Associate Justice of the Arizona Territorial Supreme Court.
The first began shortly after Titus' promotion to Chief Justice when Milton B. Duffield, Arizona Territory's first United States Marshal, appeared before the court on an assault charge.
When court resumed, Duffield appeared unarmed but was outraged that Titus refused to consider charges against the prosecutor, ruling the attorney's actions would have been justified if his weapon had fired.
[15] Following the incident, Duffield held a grudge against Titus and engaged in an unsuccessful but persistent effort to have the judge removed from office.
[14] Outrage at the April 1871 killing of over 80 Apaches peacefully encamped at the military camp near Tucson was felt as far away as Washington, D.C., with Federal officials threatening to place the territory under martial law if the attackers were not indicted.
The trial began on December 6, with both the defense and prosecution having agreed to try one of the leaders, Sidney R. DeLong, and have his fate determine the guilt of the other defendants.
The case involved an instance in which the United States government had confiscated property from the Bichard brothers' trading post located near an Indian reservation.
[14] A second important ruling came with Campbell v. Shivers, 1 Arizona 161 (1874), which dealt with the judiciary's ability to set the time for court sessions.
[19] News that Titus was being replaced as Chief Justice by Edmund Francis Dunne arrived several days after the start of his March 1874 court session.
The influence of Hughes' Democratic politics caused concern for the predominantly Republican territorial leadership when Titus was considered for reappointment following the removal of Chief Justice Dunne.