Luther Deloraine Wishard was born on April 6, 1854, in Danville, Indiana.

He was a religious worker. He was educated at Indiana University, Hanover College, and Princeton University (B.A., 1877). He continued his studies in Athens, Greece, Edinburgh, Scotland, and at Union and Princeton Theological Seminaries. He began to work as a Y. M. C. A. travelling secretary, visiting numerous college campuses across the U.S. and promoting the intercollegiate movement. He also served as the international college secretary of the Y. M. C. A. with headquarters in New York (1877-1888) and subsequently became secretary of the world’s Y. M. C. A. committee with headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland (1888-1892). He visited and organized college Y. M. C. A. groups in various centers in Europe, Asia, and other parts of the world. In 1899, Wishard went to work for the American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions and oversaw the "Forward Movement," which was a specific effort to increase awareness and support of foreign missions through individual local churches. He was a founder and chairman of the Missionary Education Movement (1901-1903) and founder and editor of The Intercollegian.

In 1884, he married Eva May Fancher (1861–1947). He died on August 6, 1925, in Brooklyn, New York.