 Stetson was active in several upstate New York businesses, including serving as secretary and a board of directors member of the Clinton and Essex Mutual Insurance Company.Stetson was elected to the United States House of Representatives in 1842 and served in the 28th Congress (March 4, 1843 - March 3, 1845).During his term in the US House, Stetson was a member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee and the Committee on Revolutionary Claims.