Born in Trois-Rivières, Canada East, the son of J. Napoleon Bureau and Sophie Gingras, Bureau was educated at Nicolet College and received a Bachelor of Laws degree in 1881 from Laval University. A lawyer, he was elected to the House of Commons of Canada for the riding of Three Rivers and St. Maurice in the 1900 federal election. A Liberal, he was re-elected in 1904, 1908, 1911, 1917, and 1921.
Born in Trois-Rivières, Canada East, J. Napoleon Bureau's son received a Bachelor of Laws degree from Laval University in 1881. He became a lawyer and was elected to the House of Commons of Canada for the riding of Three Rivers and St. Maurice in 1900. A Liberal, he was re-elected in subsequent elections until 1921.