He was the pastor of Bethel Church for 42 years (1841 to 1882), where he preached every Sunday, not only to sailors but also to merchants, sea captains and many others who were drawn to this well-known place of worship.

Before studying for the ministry, he was for a year principal of the academy at Salisbury, Connecticut, and while in the divinity school was tutor in a private family in Burlington, New Jersey.

[1] She was daughter of Samuel John Mills (1783–1818), a minister who took part in the Haystack Prayer Meeting which led to forming the American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions.

[2]: 107 Damon was preparing to go to India as a missionary and was studying the Tamil language for that purpose, when an urgent call came for a seaman's chaplain at the port of Honolulu in the Hawaiian islands.

[2]: 141 He was the editor and publisher of The Friend, a monthly newspaper for seamen which included news from both American and English newspapers as well as announcements of upcoming events, reprints of sermons, poetry, local news, editorials, ship arrivals and departures and a listing of marriages and deaths.

He made his church available for Sunday afternoon services, and later started a small night school in the parish hall to teach them English.

In 1880 he came to the United States once more and made another and more extensive trip abroad, visiting England, Scotland, Germany, Austria, Switzerland and France.

Damon died on February 7, 1885, at Honolulu, and his funeral the next day was attended by a very large congregation, including King Kalakaua and his ministers who said of him: "He was one of nature's noblemen—of fine personal appearance, always pleasant and cheerful, happy and always laboring to make others happy here and hereafter—a truly model Christian man and it may justly be said that the world was made better by his having lived in it.

Samuel Mills had served as a founding trustee of the museum, and was minister of finance of the Kingdom of Hawaii.