During the Civil War enlisted in Company H, Fifth Regiment, Maine Volunteer Infantry, June 24, 1861.

He was appointed secretary of the United States legation at Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, in 1871, and served until March 1875, when he resigned.

He returned to the United States in 1883 and was graduated from the law department of Columbia College, New York City, in 1885.

He was appointed Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary to Nicaragua, El Salvador, and Costa Rica in 1891, and served until April 1893.

This article incorporates public domain material from the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress