Progressive Men of Minnesota

Minneapolis Journal 1897

EDWARD C. KILEY From his early youth Mr. Kiley has been connected with the newspaper business. He has had to rely upon his own efforts from his thirteenth year, and is now the editor and proprietor of the Herald-Review at Grand Rapids, one of the best newspaper plants in Northern Minnesota. He is also judge of probate of Itasca County. He is of Irish parentage, and was born February 28, 1865, at Poughkeepsie, New York, the son of James and Agnes (McNulty) Kiley. When he was but two years of age his parents came West and settled on a farm in Grant County Wisconsin. The father’s death occurred in February, 1878: the mother’s a year and a half earlier. The farm property was left encumbered, and after settlement had been made there was nothing left for the support of seven orphans—six daughters and the subject of this sketch.

Edward worked for a few months after the death of his father, on the farm of an uncle, and the first money he ever earned was in the employ of Redman Gordon, a farmer, at six dollars a month and board. He then went to Lancaster, Wisconsin, and attended the winter term of school. After having earned a living as best he could until May, 1880, young Kiley went into the office of the Odebolt Observer, at Odebolt, Iowa, and commenced to learn the printing trade. That he was especially adapted to newspaper work is attested by the fact that two years later, when but seventeen years old, he was offered and accepted the position of editor and manager of the McCook County News, at Salem, South Dakota, a Democratic paper having considerable influence.

From Salem, Mr. Kiley removed to Northwood, North Dakota, where he purchased the Headlight. He was appointed postmaster of Northwood by President Cleveland, but there being little opportunity to build up a business in that town, he went to Grafton, North Dakota, where he purchased the Grafton Herald.  He conducted this paper for a time, when he sold out, and for the next two years traveled extensively throughout the United States, doing reportorial work on various metropolitan papers, and at intervals worked at the printing trade. In 1890 he purchased the Progressive Age, at Duluth, a Democratic paper devoted to the interests of the laboring classes.

He spent the following year in the upper peninsula of Michigan, where he was married at Marquette, July 30, 1892, to Mrs. Wilhelmina Desjardins Yates, daughter of Dr. J. A. Desjardins, a prominent physician of that place.

In January, 1893 Mr. Kiley located at Grand Rapids, Minnesota, and assumed the management of a local paper. On September 15, 1894, he established the Grand Rapids Herald.  The outlook for the success of his new venture did not appear inviting, as two papers already occupied the field. But with careful and painstaking work he endeavored to outrank his competitors by publishing a bright, attractive and aggressive country weekly. In May, 1896, he purchased the Review, and consolidated the two papers. In politics Mr. Kiley has always been a Democrat, and is an ardent advocate of free silver.  In 1896 he was unanimously tendered, by the legislative conventions of the Democrats and Populists, a nomination to the house or senate, but declined. Instead, however, he accepted the Democratic and Populist nominations for judge of probate of Itasca County, and was elected, being the only free silver Democrat elected in the county. He is a member of the Democratic state central committee, and chairman of the Itasca county committee. Mr. Kiley has achieved considerable popularity in his home district, though a comparatively young man as yet, but the enterprise and business ability which he has exhibited in the management of his paper promises still greater success for him in the future.