Born in Beeville, Texas in 1910, he left school in the eighth grade after fellow students teased him about his torn clothes. He worked meager jobs before hitchhiking to Washington D.C. during the depression. At age 27, he earned a high school diploma and worked his way through Howard University and its medical school. He made his home in Annapolis, and opened his own practice. He was denied hospital privileges at Anne Arundel General Hospital, where he later became chief of staff. Politically, he served as House delegate in Maryland, was elected the first black chairman of the Republican Party, and ran for lieutenant governor. In 1980, he served as secretary to the Republican National Convention under President Reagan. To his honor, a memorial park and bust are now placed at the intersections of Chinquapin Round Road and Forest Drive where MD route 665 bears his name.