His great uncle, also named John Tipton, was a prominent man in the area.

Fighting various Native American tribes in the area, he commanded a militia unit of the Yellow Jackets in the Battle of Tippecanoe campaign in 1811.

[2] He served as Major in command of two companies of Indiana Rangers at Fort Vallonia during the War of 1812 with Great Britain.

The Shawnee party who thought they had lost their pursuers set up camp on an island in the east fork of the White River.

[10] He entered politics, being elected as a member of the Indiana State House of Representatives and serving two terms, from 1819 to 1823.

A member of the United States Democratic Party, Tipton was a strong supporter of Andrew Jackson.

In 1838, at the behest of Governor David Wallace, Tipton was selected as captain of the militia to organize the forced removal of 859 Potawatomi from the vicinity of Plymouth, to which they had agreed by treaty.

Tipton declined to run for reelection due to poor health, and his term expired a month before his death.

[citation needed] He is interred in Mount Hope Cemetery in Logansport, Indiana.