Major Andrew Jackson Donelson was the adopted nephew and private secretary of President Andrew Jackson. He was the son of Samuel and Mary Donelson. Donelson attended Cumberland College in Nashville, TN before moving on to West Point. After graduating West Point, he eventually became a Major General in the United States Army. His wife, Emily, served as the White House Hostess and the unofficial First Lady. In 1844, President Tyler appointed Donelson chargé d'affaires of the United States to the Republic of Texas. In 1856, Donelson was nominated as a running mate of Millard Filmore on the American Party ticket; however, their bid for the White House ended with only 8 electoral votes. He died in June 1871.

General John Moore McCalla was born in 1791 in Kentucky. He graduated from Transylvania University and was active in Lexington politics and public life. On November 20, 1812 McCalla was commissioned as Adjutant of the 5th Regiment, Lexington Light Infantry Company and was captured at the Battle of River Raisin in Monroe, Michigan. He married Maria Hogg on October 2, 1815 and they had at least one child, John M. McCalla, Jr., who helped freed slaves resettle in Liberia. After holding several local government positions, President Polk appointed McCalla Second Auditor of the U.S. Treasury, where he served from 1845 to 1849. He continued to live in Washington, D.C. after leaving office and died there in early 1873.