 Cattermull, representing the Country Party, won the seat of Musgrave in the Queensland Assembly at the 1920 Queensland state election.He only held the seat for one term as Musgrave was abolished for the 1923 Queensland state election; he was defeated at that election contesting Bundaberg.In addition to his time in state parliament he was also a member of the Woongarra Shire Council in 1896-1921 including eighteen of those years as chairman and Cattermull was also an alderman in the Bundaberg City Council.