Having taught school and studied law in Boston, McCulloch moved in 1833 to Fort Wayne, Ind., where he practiced law. He soon turned to banking, becoming cashier and manager of the Fort Wayne branch of the old State Bank of Indiana (1835–56) and president of the new State Bank (1857–63). He won a reputation for prudent bank management during the panics of 1837 and 1857. As comptroller of the currency (1863–65) he successfully implemented the National Bank Act of 1863, authorizing the issuance of national bank notes by national banks. As secretary of the Treasury (1865–69) under Presidents Abraham Lincoln and Andrew Johnson, McCulloch attempted to return the United States to the gold standard by withdrawing from circulation paper money issued during the Civil War. He was thwarted, however, by public opposition to the plan. In 1870 he went to England as a member of the banking house of Jay Cooke, McCulloch and Company. He again served briefly as secretary of the Treasury under President Chester A. Arthur (October 1884–March 1885).