 He owned the Eastwood Estate from around 1863 and built a racecourse at Eastwood.He was an alderman at Ryde from 1871 and served as mayor (1871–73, 1875–76, 1899).He was the member for Ryde in the New South Wales Legislative Assembly from 1898 to 1901 and again from January to July 1904, both times as an Independent Protectionist.