John George Kittson was born on August 16, 1844, in Saint Paul, Ramsey County, Minnesota.

He was a physician. He studied medicine at McGill University (M.D., 1869). His thesis topic was Animal and Vegetable Nutrition. He served as Chief Surgeon at Fort Walsh, a North-West Mounted Police fort (NWMP), Saskatchewan, from 1876 until his retirement in 1882. He provided medical care to NWMP members, their families, nearby First Nations reserves, and early settlers. In 1882, he opened a private practice in Saint Paul, Minnesota.

He married Mary A. Stevens (1842-1882). He died on May 6, 1884, in Saint Paul, Ramsey County, Minnesota.