He was born in Midland, New Brunswick, the son of Richard M. Sherwood and Edna Gillies. He was educated at the University of New Brunswick. He raised dairy cattle and was also a fox rancher. In 1939, he married Madelene Lunn. Sherwood was Minister of Agriculture in the province's Executive Council from 1952 to 1960. He helped establish the New Brunswick Cream Producers' Marketing Board and the New Brunswick Milk Producers' Association and introduced legislation that led to the creation of the New Brunswick Milk Marketing Board.