Edwards became a lawyer, was active in Democratic politics, and was the United States representative from Connecticut at-large from 1819 to 1823. He was appointed to fill the vacancy caused by the death of Elijah Boardman as a United States Senator and served from Connecticut from 1823 to 1827.[2] He served as a member of Connecticut Senate at-large from 1828 to 1829. member of Connecticut state house of representatives from New Haven, in 1830, and the Speaker of the Connecticut House of Representatives in 1830.[3] He was elected Lieutenant Governor of Connecticut in 1832, but was deprived of the office by a divided Assembly.[4]
Elected in 1833, Edwards served as Governor of Connecticut from May 1, 1833, to May 7, 1834. Unsuccessful in his bid for the office in 1834, he was returned to office in 1835 and re-elected two moretimes, serving again from May 6, 1835, to May 2, 1838. During his tenure, a discriminatory education law was enacted, the railroad expanded, and the state funded a geological survey in 1835. When he did not win the Democratic party's nomination in 1838, he retired from public service.[5]