Born on the Glenwood Plantation near Vicksburg in 1872, he graduated from the University of Mississippi at Oxford in 1894 with a degree in law. Later that year, he was admitted to the Bar association and commenced practice in Vicksburg.
Collier's political career began in 1896, when he was elected to the Mississippi House of Representatives. He remained in that position until 1899. From 1900 to 1909, he served as Warren County's circuit clerk.
Running successfully as the Democratic Party candidate in the state's eighth congressional district, he took office on March 4, 1909 and went on to serve in eleven congresses (61st-72nd).

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