Mallette was born on August 6, 1932, in Houston, Texas and attended St. Nicholas Elementary and High School there.
[2] He graduated from Xavier University of Louisiana in 1954,[3] where he earned a bachelor's degree in chemistry.
[2] In 1975, he resigned from TSU to serve as the vice chancellor of academic affairs at UTN for five years.
[3] According to The Tennessean, he also did "pioneering research into the harmful effects of cyclamates on animals which were later applied to humans.
[2] In 2001, North Hydes Ferry in Bordeaux, a neighborhood of Nashville, was renamed John Mallette Drive in his honor thanks to councilmember Melvin Black.