 He held various municipal offices in Winneconne; in 1854 he was elected clerk of courts for Waupaca County, and held municipal offices in that county as well.He was elected a member of the assembly for 1876 as an "Independent Republican", part of the Reform Party, a short-lived coalition of Democrats, reform and Liberal Republicans, and Grangers formed in 1873.He won 1,083 votes against 784 votes for the incumbent, regular Republican George H. Calkins.