John Milton Bernhisel III was born in Lewiston, Utah on March 2, 1878 to John Milton and Henrietta Harris Bernhisel. Although John M. Bernhisel III was the third member of his family by this name (his grandfather was the Utah Territory's first congressional representative and his father was one of the original settlers of Lewiston), he was commonly known as John Milton Bernhisel, Jr. In 1898, Bernhisel enrolled in the Brigham Young College at Logan, Utah and graduated with a BA in 1902. On March 2, 1902 Bernhisel married Ruey Pond in the Logan LDS Temple, and they later had six children together. From 1905-1908, Bernhisel served as the principle of the Lewiston School. In 1908, Bernhisel was called to serve as a missionary for The Church of Jesus Christ of Later-day Saints in Liverpool, England, and served a total of two years. Upon returning to the United States, Bernhisel enrolled in the Northwestern University School of Dentistry in Evanston, Illinois. After graduating, Bernhisel returned to Lewiston and practiced dentistry for the remainder of his life as a partner in the dental firm Jamison & Bernhisel. During the course of Bernhisel's life in Lewiston, he served three terms as mayor and served as the town's postmaster for fourteen years. He was also involved with the Cache Valley Historical Society and was a member of the Lion's Club. He died on February 11, 1957 in Lewiston.

Source: The Herald Journal, February 12, 1957.