John W. Earley was born in Ohio and endured removal from Ohio to Kansas when he was about five years old. In Kansas, he attended the Shawnee Methodist Mission where gained literacy in English. During the 1850s, Earley taught school on the Ottawa Reserve, and during the Civil War, he enlisted as a sergeant in the Union 16th Kansas Volunteer Cavalry.

Earley was part of the Ottawa delegation involved in negotiating the 1867 treaty that secured the Ottawa Tribe a new reservation in Indian Territory, and during the 1870s, Earley served on the tribal council.

Earley was elected chief in 1881, and his administration became one of the most controversial in Ottawa history. Accusations of corruption and misuse of office led to his impeachment and removal in 1884. Despite this, Earley briefly became chief again in 1887 and later served as judge of the Court of Indian Affairs for the Quapaw Agency. He continued to play an active role in tribal affairs until his death in 1907.