In 1887, at the age of 17, he sailed for Rio de Janeiro and remained in Brazil for about one year, when he took passage for New Orleans.
[2] After remaining there a short time he went to Puerto Limón, Costa Rica; then moved on to New York City, to Boston, Massachusetts and to St. Louis, Missouri, working at the tailoring trade in every place visited.
[2] In 1893 he moved to Milwaukee, where he married Marie Murray,[2] and he worked for other tailors until 1898, when he enlisted in Company G, Fourth Wisconsin Volunteer infantry and served in the Spanish–American War.
[2] He was elected to the Assembly for the 9th district of Milwaukee County (9th ward of the City of Milwaukee) in 1912 (Socialist incumbent Edmund J. Berner was running for the state senate), receiving 1,209 votes against 1,035 for Socialist Herman O. Kent, 459 for Republican Eugene Herman, and 31 for Prohibitionist Frank F. Wolfe.
[3][4] He was later named deputy collector of internal revenue, in which capacity he was assaulted in April 1914 while inspecting a saloon.