Served on the Iowa Supreme Court from January 1, 1913, until his death August 2, 1920. For one year he was Chief Justice.
Born in Toronto, Canada, September 2, 1852, his family moved to Fayette County, Iowa in 1856. He was graduated from Griswold College in Davenport before attending the University of Iowa where he was graduated from the Law Department in 1877. He first began the practice of law at Brooklyn, Iowa, but in 1885 he moved to Marshalltown and the following year to LeMars. In 1891 he became a Judge of the District Court where he continued to serve for twenty-two years until elected to the Supreme Bench.