He represented Elgin East in the Legislative Assembly of Ontario from 1883 to 1886 as a Conservative member.
He was born in St. Thomas, Canada West, in 1851, the son of Edward Ermatinger and the grandson of Zacheus Burnham.
Read, was called to the bar in 1873 and set up practice at St. Thomas.
In 1876, he married Charlotte, the widow of Arthur Dickson and daughter of Hugh Richardson.
Ermatinger ran unsuccessfully for the same seat in the House of Commons in 1887.