His father died when he was aged 18, leaving him to support his mother and six younger siblings.

He campaigned against conscription during the 1916 and 1917 referendums and was the unsuccessful Labor candidate for Calare at the 1917 election.

He sold the farm and moved to Sydney when he was 32, around the time of his election to parliament.

[1][2][3][4][5] In 1919, he was elected to the Australian House of Representatives as the Labor member for Calare, defeating Nationalist MP Henry Pigott.

[6][7] Following his parliamentary defeat, he worked as a land and estate agent in Sydney.