 Following Lincoln's assassination, Kellogg's nomination was approved by the U. S. Senate and by President Andrew Johnson, and Kellogg served as chief justice of the Nebraska Territory from 1865 to 1867.His predecessor in that position was his distant cousin, William Pitt Kellogg, who later became the governor of Louisiana.Following his service as chief justice, William Kellogg was appointed by President Johnson as collector of internal revenue for the Peoria district, a position that he held from 1867 to 1869.