Humphrey Joseph Desmond, author, publisher, lawyer, and political reformer, was born on September 14, 1858 outside Cedarburg, Wisconsin. He was the eldest son of Thomas and Johanna Bowe Desmond.
   He graduated from the University of Wisconsin in 1880 with a B.L. and set up a law practice in Milwaukee in 1881. He was regarded by his associates as one of the finest lawyers in the Wisconsin bar. He served on the Milwaukee School Board from 1883 to 1890 and was a member of the Wisconsin state legislature from 1890 to 1891.
   In 1891, Mr. Desmond became editor of the Catholic Citizen, a Catholic newspaper published in Milwaukee. He, eventually, became owner and acquired ownership of other Catholic newspapers in Washington, D. C., Memphis, Tennessee, and St. Paul, Minnesota. He was the first president of the Irish-American Association and wrote many articles exposing the oppression of Catholics in the U.S. Many of his articles were published in The North American Review, "The Forum," "The Century," and other magazines. He was, also, a special contributor to The Library of the World's Best Literature and The Catholic Encyclopedia.
   He was the author of many books on history and ecclesiastical law, including Curious Chapters of American History, Mooted Questions of History, The Church and the Law, The A.P.A. Movement, The Know-Nothing Party, and Why God Loves the Irish. In 1905, he published his tribute to his father, A Memoir of Thomas Desmond, a biography.
   Mr. Desmond married Susan Ryan in Milwaukee. They had six children: Dorothy Louise, Humphrey Earl, Katharine Grace, Marion E., Thomas E., and John Desmond. Following his death in 1932, his son Humphrey Earl Desmond succeeded him as editor and publisher of The Catholic Citizen,.
--Biographical sketch by William Desmond

Hold Funeral for Desmond, Church Editor
   The funeral of Humphrey Desmond, widely known church editor and author of many books dealing with church history, was held Friday morning from St. John's cathedral. Burial was in Calvary cemetery. The Rev. Francis E. Murphy, rector, was celebrant of a requiem mass. Mr. Desmond, for more than half a century editor and owner of the Catholic Citizen, died Tuesday in his home, 2924 E. Newberry boulevard. He was 73.
--Milwaukee Sentinel, Milwaukee, Wisc., February 20, 1932, p. 4.