Jaan Soots was born in Küti farmstead, Linna village, Helme Parish, Viljandi County (now in Tõrva Parish, Valga County), Governorate of Livonia, Russian Empire.

He joined the army voluntarily in 1900, studied between 1901 and 1904 at Vilnius Military Academy, participated in the Russo-Japanese War and from 1910 to 1913 studied at the Imperial Nicholas Military Academy.

Soots also participated in the Tartu peace conference and retired in 1920.

In 1938, he received Herbert Hoover, who, as an honorary citizen of Tallinn, visited Estonia.

In 1940, Soviet occupation authorities arrested Soots and in 1942 he died in Ussollag prison camp in Usolye, Perm Oblast.