He was elected mayor of Sorel in 1864.
Barthe was elected to represent Richelieu in an 1870 by-election after the death of Thomas McCarthy; he was defeated in 1872 but reelected in 1874.
In 1882, Barthe returned to Trois-Rivières.
From 1887 to 1894, he served as magistrate in the district court of Trois-Rivières.
In 1897, he was named official translator for the House of Commons.
He died in Ottawa in 1900.
His brother Joseph-Guillaume was also a lawyer and journalist and was a member of the Legislative Assembly of the Province of Canada.
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