john tinney mccutcheon was born on may 6, 1870, near south raub in rural tippecanoe county, indiana, to captain john barr mccutcheon and clara (glick) mccutcheon. colonel mccutcheon father was an american civil war veteran, a farmer, stock raiser, and sheriff of tippecanoe county. the mccutcheon family moved to lafayette, indiana, in 1876, when john barr mccutcheon was named the first director of purdue university's farming operations.