Mack was born in New London, Connecticut, and was a sailor as a young man, having sailed around the world three times.

[4] In 1804,[N 2] he drove a herd of merino sheep that he had purchased in Spain westward to Cincinnati, Ohio, where he established a wool factory[3] and a hotel.

In the War of 1812, he was the captain of a military company[4] and subsequently served as member of the Cincinnati City Council[5]: 534  and as a state senator in the Ohio General Assembly.

[5]: 584 President Andrew Jackson appointed him to become customs collector for Detroit in 1829,[7] a post he held for ten years.

He also set up a general store and a wood refueling station to serve the steamships sailing on the Great Lakes Waterway.