 He was elected to the legislature of the Northwest Territory in 1798, and in 1802 he became the United States Marshal for the Northwest Territory.In 1800 Findlay received his most influential appointment, that of receiver of public money at the Cincinnati Public Land Office, which made him the region's most visible official of the federal government and a central figure in the business and politics of Cincinnati.In 1805 and 1806, he served as mayor of Cincinnati, a position he would return to in 1810 and 1811.