He was born on August 19 or 24, 1842, in
Troy,
Rensselaer County, New York, the son of David Demers and Jane A. Demers. He attended the common schools, and became a printer working for the
Troy Times. On August 27, 1862, he enlisted as a
private in the
125th New York Volunteer Infantry Regiment. He lost a leg in the
Battle of Gettysburg and was subsequently discharged, and later ran a
grocery store in
Lansingburgh. He married Margaret Cowley, and they had two daughters. He entered politics as a
Republican, and was at times a trustee of the Village of Lansingburgh, and Supervisor of the Town of Lansingburgh. He was Doorkeeper of the
New York State Assembly in
1872,
1873,
1874,
1876 and
1877; a member of the State Assembly (Rensselaer Co., 2nd D.) in
1885 and
1886; Second Assistant Doorkeeper of the State Assembly in
1897; and an assistant doorkeeper of the State Assembly in
1900. He died on April 26, 1912, at his home in Lansingburgh. ==References==