John Baptiste DeRosier was born September 25, 1944 in Superior, Wisconsin and grew up there with his parents and his brother. In 1962, John graduated from Superior High School and for the next three years served as a hospital corpsman in the United States Navy. John attended the University of Wisconsin-Superior, graduating in 1970 with a degree in history.

In 1972, John began working as a newspaper reporter for the Evening Telegram in Superior. In 1978, John earned a degree in Journalism from the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire, while also working at the school newspaper, The Spectator.

In 1978, John began working at the Barron County News Shield in Barron, Wisconsin where he met and married Beth Rylander. John then worked briefly at the Eagle Star in Marinette. In 1983, John enrolled at Bay de Noc Community College in a nursing program. That was also the year John enlisted in the United States Naval Reserves. John worked at several nursing homes in northern Wisconsin until November of 1988 when his wife began a job at the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire. In August of 1990, John was called to duty during the Persian Gulf War and was stationed at Camp LeJeune, North Carolina for 7 1/2 months. John is currently a graduate candidate for a Masters Degree in history at the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire.