On July 1, 1875, Cridler joined the United States Department of State as a clerk. He rose steadily through the ranks of the State Department. He traveled to Europe several times on government business and served as the State Department's special disbursing officer at the International Monetary Conference held in Brussels on November 22, 1892.
Upon his resignation from the State Department in 1901, Cridler became Commissioner for Europe for the Louisiana Purchase Exposition. In 1911, he became vice president of the Collin Armstrong Advertising Company.
Cridler died at his home in New York City on February 23, 1914.