Representative John Ethridge McCall

John Ethridge McCall (August 14, 1859 – August 8, 1920) was a United States representative from Tennessee and a United States district judge of the United States District Court for the Western District of Tennessee. He was born on August 14, 1859, in Clarksburg, Carroll County, Tennessee. Raised in western Tennessee, he attended both public and private schools before pursuing higher education. He received an Artium Baccalaureus degree in 1881 from the University of Tennessee, laying the academic foundation for his subsequent legal and political career.

Following his graduation, McCall read law in 1882 and was admitted to the bar the same year. He initially entered private practice in Huntingdon, Tennessee, in 1882, and moved his practice to Lexington, Tennessee, in 1883, where he continued to build his reputation as an attorney. Also in 1882, he served as editor of the Tennessee Republican, reflecting his early and active engagement with the Republican Party and public affairs. McCall sought public office as district attorney in 1886 but was unsuccessful in that campaign, an early indication of his persistent, if sometimes thwarted, ambition for elective office.

McCall’s formal political career began in the Tennessee House of Representatives, where he served from 1887 to 1889. During this period he emerged as a notable Republican figure in a predominantly Democratic state. He was chosen as a delegate to the Republican National Convention in 1888, further integrating himself into national party politics. From 1890 to 1891, he served as an Assistant United States Attorney for the Western District of Tennessee, gaining federal prosecutorial experience. In 1892, he was an unsuccessful candidate for the Republican nomination for Governor of Tennessee, an early attempt to attain statewide executive office that nonetheless underscored his prominence within the party.

A member of the Republican Party, McCall was elected from Tennessee’s 8th congressional district to the United States House of Representatives in the 54th United States Congress and served one term from March 4, 1895, to March 3, 1897. His service in Congress occurred during a significant period in American history marked by debates over economic policy, tariffs, and the role of the federal government in a rapidly industrializing nation. As a member of the House of Representatives, John Ethridge McCall contributed to the legislative process, participated in the democratic governance of the country, and represented the interests of his constituents in western Tennessee. He was an unsuccessful candidate for reelection in 1896 to the 55th United States Congress, ending his brief but notable tenure in the national legislature.

After leaving Congress, McCall remained active in Republican politics and public service. He was again a delegate to the Republican National Convention in 1900 and that same year was the unsuccessful Republican candidate for Governor of Tennessee, reflecting his continued status as a leading figure in the state party. From 1902 to 1905, he served as collector of internal revenue for the fifth district of Tennessee, a federal administrative post that involved oversight of tax collection and further solidified his experience in federal service.

McCall’s judicial career began when President Theodore Roosevelt nominated him on January 9, 1905, to a seat on the United States District Court for the Western District of Tennessee, filling the vacancy created by the death of Judge Eli Shelby Hammond. The United States Senate confirmed his nomination on January 17, 1905, and he received his commission the same day. As a United States district judge, he presided over federal trial matters in western Tennessee for more than fifteen years, serving through a period that encompassed the Progressive Era and the First World War. His judicial service continued uninterrupted until his death, and he became a central figure in the administration of federal justice in the region.

John Ethridge McCall’s service on the federal bench terminated on August 8, 1920, due to his death in Huntingdon, Tennessee. He was interred in Forest Hill Cemetery in Memphis, Tennessee. Over the course of his career—as attorney, state legislator, federal prosecutor, congressman, revenue collector, and federal judge—McCall participated in the political and legal life of Tennessee and the nation, maintaining a consistent affiliation with the Republican Party and contributing to public service at both the state and federal levels.