 After graduating from Oberlin College (as valedictorian) in 1862, he attended the Albany Law School and subsequently served as city solicitor of Lima, Ohio, and, from 1871 to 1873, as prosecuting attorney of Hamilton County, Ohio; after his term as prosecutor ended, he never ran for office again.In 1870 he married Mary Eliza Gunckel.In 1876, he played a role in the disputed presidential election, traveling to Florida, where he convinced electoral officers to reject votes from two pro-Tilden precincts in Hamilton County.