 Louis attended the public schools in Dubuque, including two years of high school, but his earnings were needed at home, so his formal education ended.He began a career in journalism at age 15, by serving as a reporter for the Galena, Illinois, Gazette from 1890-1892.Returning to Dubuque in 1892, he worked at the Dubuque Times-Journal as a reporter then as a city editor.