 Canfield had been working under New Jersey's Eight District Representative, George N. Seger, since 1923, and he continued to do so until 1940.Seger died on August 26, 1940, and Canfield ran under the Republican ticket for the November 1940 elections.Canfield, a member of the Freemasons and the Rotary Club, was sworn into the 77th United States Congress on January 3, 1941.