Born in Staunton in the Colony of Virginia, he moved with his father to the Province of South Carolina in 1756 and settled in Granville District, on Little River, near the present town of Abbeville.

He served as a member of the South Carolina House of Representatives in 1804 and 1805 and was a colonel of the state militia.

In 1807 he was elected as a Republican to the 10th United States Congress to fill the vacancy for the 6th congressional district caused by the death of Levi Casey and was sworn in on June 2, 1807.

He declined to be a candidate for re-election in 1810 and was succeeded by his first cousin John C. Calhoun.

He died in Calhoun Mills, Abbeville District (now Mount Carmel, South Carolina), and was buried there in the family cemetery.