He was born in Long Island, New York, the son of United Empire Loyalists, James Ketchum and Sarah Burr.
Following the end of the American Revolutionary War, his family was evacuated to what became the Province of New Brunswick in 1783.
He was defeated by Jedediah Slason in the 1827 election but declared the winner after an appeal.
He also served as a judge in the Court of Common Pleas for Carleton County.
His daughter Sarah married Charles Peters Wetmore, clerk for the assembly.