Botkin was a payroll clerk for the United States Army during the American Civil War (1862–1865).[2] He practiced law, and was an editor of the Milwaukee Sentinel from 1868 to 1869, managing editor of the Chicago Times (1869–1874), and editor of the Milwaukee Sentinel (1874–1877).[1] He married Harriet E. Sherman in 1872.[1]
In 1878, President Rutherford Hayes appointed him United States marshal for the Montana Territory.[1] In 1880, he lost the use of his legs as the result of an illness following exposure during a winter storm, and he used a wheelchair for the remainder of his life.[2] He remained active in the law and politics, and continued to serve as a U.S. marshal until 1885. He served as a master in chancery for Montana's federal courts from 1889 to 1897, and Helena's city attorney from 1886 to 1890.
Botkin was elected lieutenant governor as a Republican in 1892 and served one term, 1893 to 1897. He was an unsuccessful candidate for governor in 1896.[1]
In 1897, President William McKinley appointed Botkin to a commission tasked with revising the United States criminal and penal code.[2] He eventually came chairman, and served until he died, in Washington, D.C.[1][4][5]
