Walter Elliot was born in Detroit, Michigan in 1842, the son of Judge Robert Thomas Elliott, formerly of Tipperary.

After the death in combat of two of his brothers, he acceded to his mother's request and left the army some six months after his enlistment expired.

In 1894 he founded the "Cleveland Apostolate", a group of missionary priests who spoke on Catholic doctrine and practices to non-Catholics.

The preface to the French translation inaccurately indicated that Hecker had supported a Catholicism that put less emphasis on authority and more on individual initiative.

This drew the attention of Rome and prompted a letter from Pope Leo XIII to Cardinal Gibbons expressing concern that the Church in America should be cautious of adapting too much to American culture.