 Early in the War of 1812 he was instrumental in securing a loan of $5,000,000 for the national government.In 1815, he founded the Exchange Bank of New York.He was a member of the New York State Senate in 1816, serving alongside Peter R. Livingston and Darius Crosby and representing the Southern District, which consisted of Dutchess, Kings, New York, Putnam, Queens, Richmond, Rockland, Suffolk and Westchester counties.