John Charles Dermody was born on February 19, 1869, in Washington, D.C. He graduated from Georgetown University in 1889, and he earned a living as a lawyer in Washington. He married Mary Evelyn Klein on October 1, 1895, and he was reportedly “greatly attached” to her. A local writer described him as “prominent in social and political circles.” He committed suicide in Washington, D.C., on February 25, 1898.