John Moore McCalla was born near Lexington, Kentucky in 1793. A lawyer, he rose to the rank of brigadier general in the Kentucky Militia and served with distinction in the War of 1812. From 1830-1841 he worked as a U.S. Marshal for Kentucky and also operated his own private law practice. He later served as the second auditor in the U.S. Treasury from 1845-1849. He died in Washington, DC on February 28, 1873.