Edmund L. Fleming was born October 18, 1915 in Virginia, Minnesota. His parents were born in Ireland. Fleming came to Nevada in the 1930s and worked on a ranch in Pahrump, Nevada. He also worked as a miner, teacher, ranger, and farmer. He lived in Goodsprings, Nevada and Nelson, Nevada. Fleming eventually settled in Las Vegas, Nevada and continued to work in education. He was married in 1941.