As a boy, he held a clerical position in a dry goods store. In 1869, Colton entered St. Francis Xavier College in Manhattan, graduating in 1873. He then studied theology at St. Joseph's Seminary in Troy, New York.
He held a clerical position in a retail store as a young man, then attended St. Francis Xavier College in Manhattan before graduating in 1873. He later studied theology at St. Joseph's Seminary in Troy, New York.