John McPherson Pinckney was born near Hempstead in the Republic of Texas, he was raised on his family's farm near Fields Store.

His mother, Carolene (née Finney), died in 1861, leaving him the sole provider for his father and three siblings.

After being elected a justice of the peace, Pinckney decided to study law and was admitted to the bar in 1875, starting a practice in Hempstead.

[1] On April 24, 1905, a crowd of concerned citizens gathered in front of Waller County Courthouse in Hempstead to discuss a petition by the Prohibition League to Governor S. W. T. Lanham.

Also killed were Tom Pinckney, J. N. Brown, and John Mills, a leader of the Prohibition League who succumbed to his wounds the next day.