 From 1787 to 1791, he was a fur trader with the Indians along the Mohawk River, residing at Johnstown and Caughnawaga.In 1793, he returned to New York City, married, and in 1814 was elected as a Democratic-Republican to the Thirteenth Congress to fill the vacancy caused by the resignation of Egbert Benson.He was reelected to the Fourteenth and Fifteenth Congresses and served from January 22, 1814, to March 3, 1819.