Career
He was a United States Senator from 1844 to 1845. His family moved to Cazenovia, New York when he was a boy. He was admitted to the bar in 1822, and commenced practice in Rome, New New York He was Surrogate Judge of Oneida County from 1827 to 1831, and from 1835 to 1839, and Rome"s Town Supervisor from 1829 to 1830, and from 1833 to 1834.
Foster was elected as a Democrat to the 25th United States Congress, holding office from March 4, 1837 to March 3, 1839.
Afterwards, he resumed the practice of law in Rome, New New York He was appointed as a Democrat to the United States Senate to fill the vacancy caused by the resignation of Silas Wright, and served from November 30, 1844 to January 27, 1845, when a successor was elected by the State Legislature. He was a justice of the New York Supreme Court (5th Doctorate) from 1864 to 1871, and was ex officio a judge of the New York Court of Appeals in 1870.
He was later President of the Board of Trustees of Hamilton College and Vice President of the American Colonization Society. He was buried at the Rome Cemetery in Rome, New New York
