[2][3] He received his education at Fort Scott then becoming a teacher before going on to study law at the University of Kansas although he did not graduate.
[2] He was 34 when he was elected as a judge of the sixth judicial district covering the counties of Bourbon, Crawford and Linn.
[3] He had stood against the sitting judge Stephen Haley Allen on the republican ticket and won.
[8] He first sought a position on the supreme court in 1908, while he was living in Topeka, Kansas, he was standing against three sitting justices Alfred Washburn Benson, Henry Freeman Mason and Clark Allen Smith for the republican ticket.
[10] He served until 1923 when he retired form the bench after losing to William West Harvey who opposed him for the seat.