He served in the 44th and 45th Congresses, representing South Carolina’s 5th district, from March 4, 1875 through March 3, 1879. He lost to Democrat George D. Tillman in 1878, ran again in 1880, and narrowly lost again — then successfully contested the 1880 result and was awarded the seat in 1882, serving in the 47th Congress from July 19, 1882, through March 3, 1883. Redistricting moved him to the 7th district, where he served in the 48th and 49th Congresses from March 18, 1884, through March 3, 1887.
The congressional record shows specific policy positions and legislative actions. In 1875, he opposed the removal of federal troops from the South, understanding what their presence meant for the physical safety of Black communities and for the enforcement of Reconstruction-era rights. He proposed an amendment that would have barred racial distinctions in Army enlistment. He supported civil rights legislation and backed a pension for the widow of General David Hunter, the commander who had supported Black enlistment. He advocated for federal investment in the Port Royal Naval Station, which brought resources to his district.
He also used his platform to advise Black South Carolinians against migration — to the North, to the Midwest, or to Liberia. This position reflected his reading of the political situation: the answer to violence and disenfranchisement in South Carolina, in his view, was organized political resistance in South Carolina, not departure. This was a contested view, and the coming decades would make the assessment of that strategy more complicated.