[1] He was the son of an oil drilling contractor who worked for Thomas Baker Slick Sr.. His family moved to Tulsa in 1920 and later Oklahoma City where he graduated from Classen High School.
A Democrat until he switched his affiliation to the Republican Party in 1956, he first entered politics working on the U.S. Senate campaign for Bud Wilkinson.
In 1966, Hewgley was elected Mayor of Tulsa after defeating incumbent James L. Maxwell.
[2] On July 16, 1969, Hewgley watched the Apollo 11 launch from Cape Kennedy, Florida, alongside Oklahoma Governor Dewey Bartlett, University of Tulsa President Paschal Twyman, and North American Rockwell executive Harry Todd.
[3] After leaving office, Hewgley ran against Congressman James R. Jones and lost in 1972.