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.
He was brought up in Cokesbury, Abbeville County (now Greenwood County). Following his time at the local public schools and later attending educational institutions in Washington, D.C., he served as a court reporter for the second South Carolina judicial circuit before taking on responsibilities for the eighth circuit.