After high school, Nathaniel attended the United States Military Academy at West Point for two years before transferring to Texas Tech University, where he ultimately earned a B.A. in Russian Language and Area Studies, an MBA, and a law degree. It was at Texas Tech that Nathaniel also met Kyna, whom he married just one week before starting law school. Upon graduation from law school, Kyna and Nathaniel moved to Tyler, where Nathaniel began practicing law and Kyna began teaching elementary school. For the past two decades, Nathaniel's civil law practice has focused primarily on business and commercial litigation and transaction work. Nathaniel and Kyna have now been married for over twenty-three years and they four school-aged children, who serve as a primary motivation for his service in Congress. Nathaniel began his elected public service as a member of the City Council for the City of Tyler, Texas from 2005-2009. In 2009, just after being re-elected to his third term on the Tyler City Council, Nathaniel was appointed as Mayor Pro Tem, but resigned immediately to move his family to Houston, Texas for three years so that his oldest son could attend a specialized school for the Deaf. The unexpected opportunity to relocate his family for this purpose led to the miracle of his son learning to speak by age seven, something they did not think was possible. Upon returning to Tyler, Nathaniel returned to the practice of law and began giving back to his community through service with numerous non-profit organizations, including the Boy Scouts of America, the Discovery Science Place, Cancer Foundation for Life, and Tyler Area Chamber of Commerce. He also helped start an education foundation for Whitehouse I.S.D. At varying times over the past two decades, he has also been a Sunday School teacher, church deacon, trombone player for the church worship team, and coach of his daughters' basketball teams.

In 2016, Nathaniel was appointed as the Smith County Judge to fill a vacancy in that position. As Smith County Judge, Nathaniel served as the presiding officer of the Commissioners Court, Chief Budget Officer, judge of the Constitutional County Court (which had original jurisdiction over probate, guardianship, and civil mental health matters), chair of the Juvenile Board, head of emergency management, and chief administrative officer of the County. In 2018, he was elected to a full four-year term as County Judge and he continued in that role until he was elected to Congress in November 2022. Because of his work in the area of mental health, Nathaniel was appointed to the Texas Judicial Commission on Mental Health in 2021. Nathaniel is proud of his decades of volunteer and elected service to his community and looks forward to continuing to fulfill this calling of service in Congress. Ultimately, Nathaniel seeks to fulfill the Great Commandment found in Matthew 22- 36-40.