A longtime resident of Havertown, he began his officiating career on local sandlots and spent five years calling games in the minor leagues. He joined the National League umpiring staff in 1956 and worked in the major leagues until the end of the 1975 season. During his career in the major leagues, he umpired three World Series: 1961 (New York Yankees vs. Cincinnati Reds), 1963 (Los Angeles Dodgers vs. New York Yankees) and 1969 (New York Mets vs. Baltimore Orioles). He also umpired the National League Championship Series in 1971 (San Francisco Giants vs. Pittsburgh Pirates) and 1974 (Los Angeles Dodgers vs. Pittsburgh Pirates). Also was selected to umpire All-Star Games in 1959 in Pittsburgh, 1961 in San Francisco and 1968 in Houston. His son, Jerry, became a National League umpire in 1976 and his son, Joe, joined the NBA officiating staff in 1977.