He taught school after graduation, as he had done before. In the fall of 1846, entered the law office of Theodore Sedgwick, Esq., in
New York City. Before long, however, he procured through Sedgwick's influence a position as assistant editor of the
New York Evening Post; this he resigned after two years, to become night editor of the
New York Courier and Enquirer, while continuing law studies. In December, 1850, he was admitted to the bar, devoting himself to real estate and office practice. In politics, originally a Democrat, his anti-slavery zeal drove him to become a Republican. During the Civil War, he was an active supporter of
the Union. For many years, he gave much attention to
Sunday school work and the
temperance cause, and was a prominent figure in the Fulton-street prayer-meeting. Eventually, he became an ardent
Spiritualist, and in 1882, was placed by some of his relatives under restraint in an insane asylum. Litigation ensued, which resulted in his release, and he gave much of his time afterwards to the investigation of cases alleged to be of a similar character, including that of
Clarissa Caldwell Lathrop, who detailed her confinement in
A Secret Institution. ==Personal life==