Colson, a Republican, served as a state representative in 1887 and 1888, representing Bell, Harlan, Perry, and Leslie Counties, and again in 1902. He was the Republican nominee for State Treasurer in 1889.[1] He served as mayor of Middlesboro in 1893–1895.[2]
Colson was elected a US Representative in 1894 and re-elected in 1896, serving in the Fifty-fourth and Fifty-fifth Congresses (March 4, 1895 – March 3, 1899). He served as chairman of the Committee on Expenditures on Public Buildings in the Fifty-fifth Congress.[2] During his second term in Congress, Colson was known as a supporter of President McKinley's administration, but often voted with Democrats on regional issues.[1]
While a Representative, Colson was a member of the "Free Cuba" group. In 1898, during the Spanish–American War, Colson left his position in Congress to become colonel of the Fourth Kentucky Volunteer Infantry. After his military service, he did not run for re-election.[1]
In 1899, Colson was shot in the arm by a fellow officer, Lieutenant Ethelbert Dudley Scott. Colson had previously brought court-martial charges against Scott.[1] On January 16, 1900, Colson got in a pistol fight with Scott in a hotel lobby in Frankfort, Kentucky. Three men were killed: Scott and two bystanders, Charles Julian and Luther Demaree. Colson was acquitted of the charges that April.[1]
