 On his father's side of the family, he was a descendant of Thomas Hastings (colonist) who came from the East Anglia region of England to the Massachusetts Bay Colony in 1634.The younger Hastings completed preparatory studies and graduated from Harvard University in 1817; he studied law, was admitted to the bar in 1820 and commenced practice in Mendon.Hastings became a member of the Massachusetts House of Representatives in 1828, and served in the Massachusetts State Senate from 1829 to 1833.