he was a dunedin landowner and contractor, and was one of the promoters of the dunedin peninsula and ocean beach railway. he owned the horse-drawn trams serving the suburbs of dunedin and having a "virtual monopoly", until he sold them to the dunedin city and suburban tramway co in 1883 for £55,000. he was the brother-in-law of newspaper proprietor sir george fenwick, owing to fenwick's marriage to proudfoot's sister jane.