 He was a member of the Maryland House of Delegates from 1801 to 1803 and 1805, and served as speaker in the latter year.He resigned November 11, 1805, and was later elected as a Republican to the Tenth and Eleventh Congresses, serving from March 4, 1807 to March 3, 1811.During the Eleventh Congress, he was chairman of the Committee on the District of Columbia.