He joined the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints in 1847 over his family's objections.
In 1854 he was appointed to serve in the Swiss Mission, which soon put him in charge of all Latter-day Saint operations in Italy.
There he met and baptized Esther Charlotte Emily Weissbrodt, a school teacher.
He and his family emigrated to the United States, arriving in Salt Lake City in the Utah Territory that fall.
For a single two-year term, he represented a northeastern district covering Morgan, Summit, Wasatch and Uintah Counties.