He was born in Nelson Township in Upper Canada in 1814, the son of William Chisholm. He studied at Upper Canada College and moved to Hamilton, later settling in Oakville. He served in the Gore militia during the Upper Canada Rebellion and the Fenian raids. Chisholm served as reeve of Trafalgar Township from 1830 to 1852. In 1841, he was appointed sergeant-at-arms for the Legislative Assembly of the Province of Canada. In 1849, he was injured during riots when the Rebellion Losses Bill was passed. He resigned in 1854 and was elected to represent Halton in the legislative assembly. He was elected as the first mayor of Oakville in 1857, serving until 1862; he served another term in 1873.