Herny Joseph Desmond was born September 14, 1858, near
Cedarburg, Wisconsin, the son of Thomas and Joanna Bowe Desmond. He moved with his parents to
Milwaukee, Wisconsin in 1866. Desmond went to high school in Milwaukee and the
University of Wisconsin and
University of Wisconsin Law School where he received his law degree. He began his law practice in 1881. He married Susan Ryan, and they had six children. From 1883 to 1890, Desmond served on the Milwaukee School Board. In 1888, he served as counsel before the
Wisconsin Supreme Court in the
Edgerton Bible Case. In 1891–1892, Desmond was elected a
Democratic member of the
Wisconsin State Assembly, and served as Chairman of the Committee on Education. He was a member of the board of regents of
Marquette University. Desmond was the proprietor of the
Northwestern Chronicle in St. Paul; the
New Century in Washington; and the
Memphis Journal. In 1891, Desmond became the editor and publisher of
The Catholic Citizen and wrote several books, historical studies, and essays. He was a contributor to the
American Catholic Quarterly Review,
Century, and the
North American Review, and contributed a number of articles regarding matters of law to the
Catholic Encyclopedia. Desmond was a member of the American Historical Association, the Wisconsin Historical Association, and the Wisconsin Academy of Sciences. He died at his home in Milwaukee on February 16, 1932. ==References==