Son of Octave Gonzales Fernández and Mary Benson, he was born, lived, and died in New Orleans, Louisiana.

He was a member of the Louisiana House of Representatives from 1924 to 1928 and the State Senate from 1928 to 1930 at the time of the administration of Mayor T. Semmes Walmsley.

In 1930, however, Fernández defected to the camp of Walmsley's enemy, Governor Huey Pierce Long, Jr.

He was an alternate delegate to the 1936 Democratic National Convention, which renominated the Franklin D. Roosevelt-John Nance Garner ticket.

In his forties, Fernández served in the United States Navy as a lieutenant commander during World War II.