Researching John Hewitt

Over his career, Hewitt wrote over 300 songs, a number of cantatas and operettas, and one oratorio, as well as plays, poems, and articles for magazines and newspapers. He also worked as a theatre manager, magazine and newspaper editor, concert performer, and music teacher at seminaries for women.

In 1880, he was hired by Erminnie A. Smith of the Smithsonian Institution's Bureau of Ethnology (now the Bureau of American Ethnology), as an assistant ethnologist. He worked with Smith for several years until her death in 1886. He then applied to the institution for employment to complete the Tuscarora-English dictionary he had begun with Smith. He moved to Washington DC where he would work as an ethnologist until his death in 1937. He worked on the dictionary throughout his life, but it was not published during his lifetime. (It was later edited and published as the Tuscarora-English/English-Tuscarora dictionary.)

In 1914 he was awarded the Cornplanter Medal.

Hewitt's prolific researches, including studies of Iroquois mythology and language, were compiled in his well-known "Iroquois Cosmology" which was published in two parts, 1903 and 1928.

He is best known as the scorer of a number of significant goals for Aberdeen, including the winning goal in the 1983 Cup Winners' Cup final. He was inducted into the Aberdeen FC "Hall of Fame" as one of the founding members in 2003.

From November 1930 to 1957, Hewitt held positions in the Belfast Museum & Art Gallery. His radical socialist ideals proved unacceptable to the Belfast Unionist establishment and he was passed over for promotion in 1953. Instead in 1957 he moved to Coventry, a city still rebuilding following its devastation during World War II . Hewitt was appointed Director of the Herbert Art Gallery & Museum where he worked until retirement in 1972.

Hewitt had an active political life, describing himself as "a man of the left", and was involved in the British Labour Party, the Fabian Society and the Belfast Peace League. He was attracted to the Ulster dissenting tradition and was drawn to a concept of regional identity within the island of Ireland, describing his identity as Ulster, Irish, British and European. John Hewitt officially opened the Belfast Unemployed Resource Centre (BURC) Offices on Mayday 1985.His life and work are celebrated in two prominent ways – the annual John Hewitt International Summer School – and, less conventionally, a Belfast pub is named after him – the John Hewitt Bar and Restaurant, which is situated on the city's Donegall Street and which opened in 1999. The bar was named after him as he officially opened the Belfast Unemployed Resource Centre, which owns the establishment. It is a popular meeting place for local writers, musicians, journalists, students and artists. Both the Belfast Festival at Queen's and the Belfast Film Festival use the venue to stage events.

Born in Preston, Connecticut, to Charles Hewitt and Eunice (Witter), Hewitt entered Yale University in 1855, initially intending to study law. While at Yale he befriended Franklin Carter, a relationship that would prove beneficial in later years. After graduating with an A.B. in 1859, Hewitt then earned an advanced degree from the Yale Divinity School in 1863. He served as a librarian at Yale's Brothers in Unity Library until 1865, until he accepted a position teaching Latin and Greek at Olivet College. He became a full professor the same year, and earned a master's degree from Yale in 1867.

On September 8, 1869, Hewitt married Mary Louisa Downing. They had two sons, both of which would become professors themselves, and a daughter. In 1875 Hewitt moved to Lake Forest College in Illinois, due to health problems, and served as trustee and acting president there. He studied and traveled in Europe from 1881 to 1882.

In 1882, Franklin Carter, now president of Williams College in Massachusetts, contacted Hewitt and offered him a prestigious professorship in ancient languages. Hewitt accepted, serving Williams in various capacities for the rest of his life. He earned another master's degree from Williams in 1888, and an LL.D. from Union College in 1895. When Carter resigned in 1901, Hewitt was named acting president until 1902, when he was replaced by Henry Hopkins. Williams went on to publish Williams College and Foreign Missions in 1914. He subsequently received a higher professorship of Greek in 1903, and became Professor Emeritus in 1909.

Hewitt was the son of Alfred James Hewitt, who was then serving in the Royal Navy. Becoming an officer in the Royal Marines, in 1956 Hewitt married Shirley Stamp, daughter of a London dental surgeon living in Devon. Their daughter Alexandra was born in 1957. Their son is James Hewitt, former Major in the Life Guards and media personality, known for his relationship with Diana, Princess of Wales. In 1974, Hewitt was organizing pony-trekking holidays in Devon.