Benjamin Swift (April 9, 1780 – November 11, 1847) was an American
lawyer
A lawyer is a person who practices law. The role of a lawyer varies greatly across different legal jurisdictions. A lawyer can be classified as an advocate, attorney, barrister, canon lawyer, civil law notary, counsel, counselor, solic ...
,
banker
A bank is a financial institution that accepts Deposit account, deposits from the public and creates a demand deposit while simultaneously making loans. Lending activities can be directly performed by the bank or indirectly through capital m ...
and
politician
A politician is a person active in party politics, or a person holding or seeking an elected office in government. Politicians propose, support, reject and create laws that govern the land and by an extension of its people. Broadly speaking, a ...
from
Vermont
Vermont () is a state in the northeast New England region of the United States. Vermont is bordered by the states of Massachusetts to the south, New Hampshire to the east, and New York to the west, and the Canadian province of Quebec to ...
. He served as a
United States Representative
The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they ...
and
United States Senator
The United States Senate is the Upper house, upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the United States House of Representatives, House of Representatives being the Lower house, lower chamber. Together they compose the national Bica ...
, and helped found the
Whig Party.
Early life
Swift was born in
Amenia, New York
Amenia is a town in Dutchess County, New York, United States. The population was 4,436 at the 2010 census. The town is on the eastern border of the county.
History
Amenia is one of the original towns formed by act of March 7, 1788. It compris ...
, the son of Job Swift and Mary Ann (Sedgwick) Swift.
In 1786, at the age of five, he moved with his father to
Bennington
Bennington is a town in Bennington County, Vermont, United States. It is one of two shire towns (county seats) of the county, the other being Manchester. As of the 2020 US Census, the population was 15,333. Bennington is the most populous to ...
in the
Vermont Republic
The Vermont Republic ( French: ''République du Vermont''), officially known at the time as the State of Vermont ( French: ''État du Vermont''), was an independent state in New England that existed from January 15, 1777, to March 4, 1791. The ...
. He attended the common schools in Bennington before attending
Litchfield Law School
The Litchfield Law School of Litchfield, Connecticut, was the first independent law school established in America for reading law. Founded and led by lawyer Tapping Reeve, the proprietary school was unaffiliated with any college or university. (Whi ...
in 1801.
He studied law and was
admitted to the bar
An admission to practice law is acquired when a lawyer receives a license to practice law. In jurisdictions with two types of lawyer, as with barristers and solicitors, barristers must gain admission to the bar whereas for solicitors there are dist ...
in 1806. He began the
practice of law
In its most general sense, the practice of law involves giving legal advice to clients, drafting legal documents for clients, and representing clients in legal negotiations and court proceedings such as lawsuits, and is applied to the professi ...
in Bennigton before moving to
Manchester
Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of Salford to the west. The t ...
to practice law. In 1809 he moved to
St. Albans
St Albans () is a cathedral city in Hertfordshire, England, east of Hemel Hempstead and west of Hatfield, north-west of London, south-west of Welwyn Garden City and south-east of Luton. St Albans was the first major town on the old Roman ro ...
to practice law. He also engaged in banking and farming in the area.
Political career
He held various political positions in Vermont, and was elected to the
Vermont State House
The Vermont State House, located in Montpelier, is the state capitol of the U.S. state of Vermont. It is the seat of the Vermont General Assembly. The current Greek Revival structure is the third building on the same site to be used as the Sta ...
in 1825.
He served in the State House until 1827. He was then elected to serve Vermont as a
National Republican Party
The National Republican Party, also known as the Anti-Jacksonian Party or simply Republicans, was a political party in the United States that evolved from a conservative-leaning faction of the Democratic-Republican Party that supported John Qu ...
candidate in the United States House of Representatives. He served in the
Twentieth and the
Twenty-first Congresses from March 4, 1827 to March 3, 1831.
While in Congress, he was on the executive committee of the Congressional Temperance Society. He declined renomination.
In 1833 he was elected as an
Anti-Jacksonian
The National Republican Party, also known as the Anti-Jacksonian Party or simply Republicans, was a political party in the United States that evolved from a conservative-leaning faction of the Democratic-Republican Party that supported John Qu ...
candidate to the United States Senate, serving from March 4, 1833 to March 3, 1839. While in the Senate, Swift was a strong opponent of
President
President most commonly refers to:
*President (corporate title)
*President (education), a leader of a college or university
*President (government title)
President may also refer to:
Automobiles
* Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ful ...
Andrew Jackson
Andrew Jackson (March 15, 1767 – June 8, 1845) was an American lawyer, planter, general, and statesman who served as the seventh president of the United States from 1829 to 1837. Before being elected to the presidency, he gained fame as ...
and helped found the Whig Party.
Swift was not renominated for a second term in the Senate and returned to St. Albans where he continued to work as a lawyer and farmer until his death. He died on November 11, 1847 in St. Albans, Vermont
and is interred in Greenwood Cemetery in St. Albans.
Family life
Swift married Rebecca Brown on October 26, 1809.
He and his wife had nine children: Charles Henry Swift, Cordelia Swift, William Swift, Catherine Sedgwick Swift, Alfred Brown Swift, Jane Harriet Swift, George Sedgwick Swift, Caroline Swift and Charles Benjamin Swift.
References
Further reading
* Smith, Worthington.
A Discourse, Delivered November 17, 1847, at the Interment of the Hon. Benjamin Swift, Late a U.S. Senator from the State of Vermont'. St. Albans, VT: E.B. Whiting, 1848.
External links
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Swift, Benjamin
1781 births
1847 deaths
People from Amenia, New York
American people of English descent
Vermont Democratic-Republicans
National Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Vermont
National Republican Party United States senators from Vermont
Vermont National Republicans
Vermont Whigs
Whig Party United States senators from Vermont
Members of the Vermont House of Representatives
American bankers
Farmers from Vermont
People from Bennington, Vermont
People from St. Albans, Vermont
Vermont lawyers
Litchfield Law School alumni
Burials in Vermont
19th-century American lawyers
Members of the United States House of Representatives from Vermont