 In 1893, President Grover Cleveland appointed Rucker as assistant United States district attorney for the northern district of Georgia.In 1912, he returned to practicing law in Athens.Upon the death of Georgia's federal representative for the 8th district, Samuel J. Tribble, Rucker won the special election as a Democrat to fill the remainder of the term for that seat in the 64th United States Congress and served from January 11, 1917 until March 3, 1917.