Private practice, Wirt County, Virginia (now West Virginia), 1847-1848
Prosecutor, Wirt County, Virginia (now West Virginia), 1848
Commonwealth attorney, Ritchie County, Virginia (now West Virginia), 1849-1850
Private practice, Wood County, Virginia (now West Virginia), 1850-1851
State delegate, Virginia, 1851-1855
Private practice, Parkersburg, Virginia (now West Virginia), 1855-1861