[1][2] His older brother was Major-General Sir Hugh McCalmont, Member of Parliament for North Antrim from 1895 to 1899.

Having left the military, McCalmont was eligible to stand in the 1874 general election, and he was nominated as one of three candidates for the Home Rule League in Longford.

Following this defeat he returned to the military for a further seven years, before again retiring to stand for the newly created Antrim East constituency as a Conservative candidate in 1885.

He frequently entered the Waterloo Cup, and was heavily involved in the development of the Royal Portrush Golf Club.

[1] McCalmont made his final public appearance in September 1912 at a demonstration regarding the Home Rule Crisis.