A lawyer by profession, he was noted for pleading in several varied political affairs, notably those of the grévistes of Decazeville (also known as the Watrin affair) and the anarchists Monod and Lucas.
Conseiller municipal for Paris between 1893 and 1898 and a député for the Seine (3rd arrondissement of Paris) from 1898 to 1932, he was known for having denounced the poor care and pitiable monitoring of the archives for France's colonial African administrations, revealing he was in possession of originals which should never have left Africa. His action forced the then Minister for the Colonies to review the organisation of the archives in French West Africa.