He attended the public schools and graduated from the University of Minnesota at Minneapolis in 1903.

Chase attended the University of Minnesota Law School in 1904, 1905, 1915, and 1916, but did not graduate.

After serving in Congress, Chase practiced law, specializing in legal research from 1935 through 1943.

During the 1938 gubernatorial race, Chase authored a book "Are They Communists or Catspaws: A Red Baiting Article", trying to prove a link between the incumbent Farmer-Labor Party administration and the Communist Party, however the book blatantly introduced anti-Semitism into Minnesota politics as all of his examples were addressing Jews.

[2][3] The book helped his side win the election, but it also prompted the organization, Jewish Community Relations Council, to combat local anti-Semitism.