From 1877 to 1879 Washington was a member of the Tennessee House of Representatives. In 1886 he was elected as a Democrat to the Fiftieth United States Congress, and was re-elected to the four succeeding Congresses.
Washington served in the Tennessee House of Representatives from 1877 to 1879. In 1886, he was elected as a Democrat to the Fiftieth United States Congress and was subsequently re-elected for four more terms.