Born in Twillingate, Newfoundland, he was classmates with Lester Pearson while attending Victoria College, University of Toronto.
After graduating in 1917, he joined the Canadian Army but was later not allowed to fight due to an irregular heartbeat.
In 1923, he was elected to the Newfoundland and Labrador House of Assembly for Twillingate and was re-elected 1924.
He also visited Parliament Hill with the Ottawa Delegation to negotiate the Terms of Union for Confederation with Canada.
[1] The delegation's members (With their districts) were: After Confederation, Ashbourne was elected to the House of Commons of Canada for the riding of Grand Falls—White Bay in 1949.