Henry H. Kildee was born March 1, 1884 in Osage, Iowa. He was the son of Michael and Lucy Ann (Stone) Kildee. Kildee graduated from the Cedar Valley Seminary, Osage, Iowa in 1908. He recieved from Iowa State a Bachelor of Science degree in 1908 and a Master of Science degree in 1917. Kildee was awarded honoary doctorate degrees by North Dakota State University in 1940 and by Iowa State University in 1958.

Kildee served the Animal Husbandry Department as an Instructor in 1909, Associate Professor from 1910-1915, and as a Professor from 1915-1916. In 1916 he left Iowa State to serve as Chief of the Division of Dairy Husbandry at the University of Minnesota from 1916-1918. In 1918, he returned to Iowa State as Head of the Department of Animal Husbandry. He was head of the Animal Husbandry Department from 1918-1935, Vice Dean of the Dvision of Agriculture from 1923-2933, Dean of Agriculture from 1933-1949, and Director of the Agriculture and Home Economics Extension Service from 1946-1949. Kildee retired from administrative duties in 1949.

Dean Kildee participated in state or national agricultural meetings or livestock shows in every state in the United States and in many Canadian provinces, judging all breeds of dairy cattle, beef cattle, hogs, and draft horses. He also made numerous trips as judge, teacher, and advisor in livestock matters to Cuba, Costa Rica, Chile, Ecuador, Columbia, Venezuela, and Great Britain.

Kildee Hall and Kildee Auditorium were named in his honor in 1966. Henry H. Kildee died February 19, 1973 following a long illness. He is buried in the Iowa State University Cemetery.