Edward Timothy Hurley was born in Cincinnati, Ohio in 1869. He studied at Xavier University and the Cincinnati Art Academy, studying with Otto Beck and etcher Frank Duveneck between 1894 and 1898.

Hurley was a member of the Cincinnati Society of Etchers, Ohio Print Makers, the Duveneck Society, The Crafters and other artists’ societies.

Like a number of other Cincinnati artists, Hurley worked as a designer for Rookwood Pottery. He received a gold medal for his design at the St. Louis Worlds Fair in 1904. He married artist Irene Bishop in 1907.

Hurley exhibited his etchings throughout the US, including the Herron Art Institute, Art Institute of Chicago, the Corcoran Gallery and the National Academy of Design.

E.T. Hurley painted landscape designs for Rookwood between 1896 and 1948. He was the author of 8 books on Cincinnati and was the author and illustrator of Familiar Scenes in 1937 Memories in 1943. Edward Timothy Hurley died in Cincinnati, Ohio in 1950.