John M. Tate was born around 1830 in North Carolina to David and Susan Tate. His father died when he was very young. He probably attended school in North Carolina and Pennsylvania. He sided with the Confederacy during the Civil War, and he received a commission as a 2nd lieutenant in Company D of the 11th North Carolina Infantry in 1862. The regiment took part in the Battle of Gettysburg and the Overland Campaign. He was promoted to 1st lieutenant on April 22, 1862, and then to captain on July 10, 1862. He also served as quartermaster. He died sometime after 1864.