He was the son of John N. Sloane & Cynthia Stiony. Rush was a lawyer, abolitionist, and Underground Railroad participant. The son of a local jeweler who arrived in Ohio around 1815, Sloane started studying law at the age of 17 and was admitted to the bar in 1849.

Sloane practiced law in Sandusky and became involved in local abolitionist activities. His antislavery sentiments were most probably cultivated while studying law with lawyer F.D. Parish, a leading Sandusky abolitionist whose home was a known Underground Railroad station. Sloane was one of Ohio's most prominent abolitionists during the 1850s. He utilized his Sandusky home as a safe house for runaway slaves on the Underground Railroad.

In 1855, Sloane became a probate judge in Erie County. Six years later, he became an agent for the United States Post Office in Chicago, Illinois. While in Chicago, Sloane became quite wealthy from his real estate investments. In 1865, he purchased Cedar Point and took the first steps to convert the site into a vacation spot. In 1867, Sloane became the president of the Sandusky, Dayton, and Cincinnati Railroad and in 1879, he was elected mayor of Sandusky.

He was the son of John N. Sloane & Cynthia Stiony. Rush was a lawyer, abolitionist, and Underground Railroad participant. The son of a local jeweler who arrived in Ohio around 1815, Sloane started studying law at the age of 17 and was admitted to the bar in 1849.

Sloane practiced law in Sandusky and became involved in local abolitionist activities. His antislavery sentiments were most probably cultivated while studying law with lawyer F.D. Parish, a leading Sandusky abolitionist whose home was a known Underground Railroad station. Sloane was one of Ohio's most prominent abolitionists during the 1850s. He utilized his Sandusky home as a safe house for runaway slaves on the Underground Railroad.

In 1855, Sloane became a probate judge in Erie County. Six years later, he became an agent for the United States Post Office in Chicago, Illinois. While in Chicago, Sloane became quite wealthy from his real estate investments. In 1865, he purchased Cedar Point and took the first steps to convert the site into a vacation spot. In 1867, Sloane became the president of the Sandusky, Dayton, and Cincinnati Railroad and in 1879, he was elected mayor of Sandusky.