In partnership with his son-in-law David Henderson, he ran iron ore mines in and around North Elba, New York, including the North Elba Ironworks, the McIntyre Mine and the Adirondack Iron Company. He was also involved in the early development of Jersey City, New Jersey. In the 1840s, with his nephew, Archibald Robertson, and his great nephew, Peter Thompson, he initiated coal mining in Lycoming County, Pennsylvania.
