McCutcheon served as the 18th speaker of the Alaska House of Representatives from 1949 to 1951 in the 19th territorial legislature.

[5] In 1954, McCutcheon authored a petition asking President Dwight D. Eisenhower to recall Alaska governor B. Frank Heintzleman, describing it as "a non-partisan movement".

[6] Outside of the Alaska Legislature, McCutcheon was an attorney with his own private law practice in Anchorage.

[3] McCutcheon helped Alaska natives obtain a settlement of $962 million and 40 acres of land.

McCutcheon and the other officer denied any wrongdoing and claimed that the charges were politically motivated.