He was reared in Cokesbury, Abbeville County (now Greenwood County). After attending the Cokesbury public schools and of Washington, D.C., he served as the official court reporter for the second South Carolina judicial circuit and, later, for the eighth circuit.
Born in Cokesbury, Abbeville County (now Greenwood County), he pursued his education through the local public schools and later attended institutions in Washington, D.C. He then held the position of official court reporter for the second South Carolina judicial circuit before moving on to serve the eighth circuit.