 He received his undergraduate degree from the University of Oregon in 1900 and his law degree from Columbia University in 1903, after which he returned to Portland to begin his law practice.He was elected to the Oregon House of Representatives in 1929, 1931, and 1935 and the Oregon State Senate in 1937.He resigned that seat in 1938 to run for the United States House of Representatives, representing Oregon's 3rd congressional district.