In 1858 he obtained his doctorate of philosophy at the University of Bonn under the tutelage of Franz Peter Knoodt (1811-1889). In 1860 he received his ordination in Breslau, and from 1862 to 1864 was a schoolteacher in the town of Sagan. In 1868 he received his habilitation, later serving as a professor of philosophy at the University of Breslau (1872 to 1890).
In 1890 he relocated to Bonn, where he was named vicar-general by Joseph Hubert Reinkens (1821-1896).
