Complex sentence: In 1868 he became United States Attorney for West Virginia, a position he held until 1881, when President Rutherford B. Hayes appointed him Secretary of the Navy after the resignation of Richard W. Thompson from Indiana.
Split into simpler sentences: In 1868 he became United States Attorney for West Virginia, a position he held until 1881. Late in his term as President, Rutherford B. Hayes appointed him Secretary of the Navy after the resignation of Richard W. Thompson from Indiana.