John Hathorn earned degrees from Rice Institute (now University) (BA, 1918; MA, 1922) and took post-graduate courses at the University of Chicago, Duke University, and the University of Texas at Austin.

Following teaching positions in Houston, Chicago, and at the University of the Redlands (1925-27), Hathorn became an Associate Professor of Education at Sam Houston State Teachers College (now State University) in 1927. He left Huntsville in 1933 and worked briefly in Austin before returning to Huntsville in 1936.The Hathorn House carried his name.