He was born on March 9, 1903 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin to a family of German ancestry, and ordained a priest on July 11, 1926 in the Archdiocese of Milwaukee. On February 22, 1946 he was appointed Bishop of Superior, Wisconsin where he was ordained a bishop on May 8, 1946. He was appointed Archbishop of Milwaukee on July 21, 1953 and installed September 24, 1953 before being appointed Archbishop of Chicago, on September 19, 1958 and installed November 16, 1959. He was elevated to Cardinal on December 14, 1959, and served as archbishop until his death from a brain tumor at the age of 62. He is interred in a crypt at the Chapel of Mundelein Seminary, University of St. Mary of the Lake, Mundelein, Illinois.