His grandfather was a French naval officer and his father started his career as a midshipman and ended it in the XIXe century as a Capitaine de Frégate.

He made a cruise in the Levant, as second captain of L'Iéna, and accompanied the Prince of Joinville in 1838 in the Bombardment of San Juan de Ulúa.

He concluded an advantageous treaty with the Imam of Muscat and Oman, and made a naval demonstration against Madagascar.

[1] Romain-Desfossés was a Major General of the Navy in Brest when he was elected on 13 May 1849 to represent Finistère in the Legislative Assembly.

He left the ministry in January 1851 when Louis-Napoléon Bonaparte relieved General Changarnier of his functions of Commander of the National Guard.

He became vice-admiral on 11 June 1853, a member of the admiralty board and chairman of the naval works committee.