He was born in Lower Town, Ottawa in 1861, the son of Séraphin Champagne. He studied law in Montreal and was called to the Quebec bar in 1898; he became a member of the Ontario bar in 1901. Champagne served 14 years on Ottawa city council and also served ten years as controller. In 1908, he served as mayor after D'Arcy Scott resigned to serve on the Board of Railway Commissioners. The Champagne Bath, a fitness facility, was named after him. He took over the role of mayor in May 1924 when mayor Henry Watters died while in office. Besides serving in the provincial legislature, he also made several unsuccessful attempts at representing the City of Ottawa federally. Champagne died in Ottawa after suffering a heart attack in 1925 and is buried in the Notre-Dame Cemetery.
His brother Albert served in the Canadian House of Commons.
References
^Dave Mullington "Chain of Office: Biographic Sketches of Ottawa's Mayors (1847-1948)" (Renfrew, Ontario: General Store Publishing House, 2005)
Chain of Office: Biographical Sketches of the Early Mayors of Ottawa (1847-1948), Dave Mullington (ISBN1-897113-17-X)
