 As a result of numerous accidents he lost the sight of his left eye at the age of twelve and that of his right eye at the age of twenty.He attended the School for the Blind in Pittsburgh and graduated from Overbrook School for the Blind in Overbrook, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in 1909.He was engaged in the sale of periodicals and newspapers in 1907 and 1908, and in the insurance brokerage business from 1920 to 1924.