 He was elected alderman of the Second Ward in Brooklyn in 1846 and 1847, and was reelected in 1849 and served for four years.By 1854, when he joined a special force known as "Special Police" to keep order in the streets of New York, he was already one of the "most respected and influential citizens" of the city.Politically a Democrat, he was a member of the New York State Assembly (Kings Co., 2nd D.) in 1856.