Texas annexation
In 1832, he served as a Whig member of the New York State Assembly. He declined to be a candidate for renomination. He was elected as an antislavery member of the twenty-sixth and twenty seventh U.S. Congresses, serving from March 4, 1839 to March 3, 1843. While in Congress, he drafted the protest signed by the Whigs in Congress against the Texas annexation. He was an unsuccessful candidate for reelection.