Ogden was born in Elizabeth, NJ, then moved to Vermont as a child. He returned to New Jersey and graduated from Princeton University in 1948 after serving in the U.S. Navy during World War II. It was during this period that Ogden began to work in metal. From 1953 to 1962 he was employed as a designer in New York City, followed by several years designing and constructing furniture and other functional objects in Manchester, VT. From 1967, Ogden created sculpture in his studio in Landgrove, VT. His sculptures have been shown in galleries across the country and museums, such as the Aldrich Museum in Ridgefield, CT, and the Brattleboro Museum in Vermont.