From 1822 until 1829, he was a judge of the New York Supreme Court. In 1829, he was elected president of Columbia College (now Columbia University), where he remained until failing health compelled him to resign in 1842. During his administration he delivered to the senior class a course of lectures on the constitutional jurisprudence of the United States (published in 1833; revised ed., 1856). He delivered a eulogy on President James Monroe from the portico of the city hall. After his retirement he resided in Morristown, New Jersey.