Ottó Herman was born in Breznóbánya, Kingdom of Hungary (modern day Slovakia) into a Zipser German family. He started his schools in Miskolc. He studied engineering in Vienna, however, due to family reasons he couldn't finish his studies. At age 14 he wanted to join the Hungarian revolutionaries of 1848 but was sent home because he couldn't provide a letter of his father's consent. Later, Herman spent years in military service in the Austrian Army as a punishment for trying deliberately to avoid conscription. He became a well-known journalist and a member of the Hungarian National Assembly. He frequently visited Lajos Kossuth in Torino, Italy.