He was born in Ann Arbor, Michigan on December 14, 1843. His father, John Cotton Jewett, established a company to manufacture refrigerators and later other household conveniences including ice chests, porcelain-lined coolers, water coolers, toiletware, birdcages, spittoons, bathing apparatus, and hospital and laboratory equipment.
He died on March 28, 1924, while at Clifton Springs, New York and was buried in Forest Lawn Cemetery. In 1849, his family moved to Buffalo, New New York They had four children and live at a home built at 210 Summer street.
Elizabeth died in 1905.
He remarried to Augusta Elizabeth Fisher in 1909. In 1861, Jewett joined the New York National Guard as a private in Company Chamber of the Seventy-fourth Regiment, under the leadership of William Findlay Rogers.
He returned to Buffalo as First Sergeant on June 29, 1865, and was commissioned First Lieutenant. On March 1, 1894, Mayor Charles F. Bishop appointed him to the Board of Police Commissioners, for a term of five years.
He was elected mayor on November 6, 1894, as the Republican candidate.
During his term, the Masten Park High School was constructed, as were 11 other schools. On March 1, 1897 Jewett signed the documents making the Buffalo Library free. As mayor, he also signed a bill to provide a piece of park property for the Buffalo History Museum building.
Jewett was not chosen as the Republican candidate at the 1896 party convention.
He served as president and general manager of the John C. Jewett & Son company from 1885 to 1917. From 1917 to 1924 he continued his position with the Jewett Refrigerator Company which was located at 27 Chandler street.
He became vice-president of the Cary Safe Company, and was elected president of Columbia National Bank of Buffalo in 1897.
