He represented Vaudreuil in the House of Commons of Canada as a Liberal member from 1891 to 1892 and 1893 to 1904.

[1] His brother, Robert William Harwood, had also represented Vaudreuil in the House of Commons[1] and another brother, Antoine Chartier de Lotbiniere Harwood represented Vaudreuil in the Quebec Assembly.

His brother-in-law, Sir Henri-Elzear Taschereau, was Chief Justice of Canada.

He was educated at the Collège Sainte-Marie de Montréal, and afterwards at the Université Laval, Quebec City.

[1] In 1864, he married Marie-Josephine Sydney (1840-1912), daughter of Jean-Chrysostome Brauneis II (1814–1871), organist, composer and teacher - the first Canadian to study music in Europe (1830–33).