Charles Edward Swanson (January 3, 1879 – August 22, 1970) served two terms as a Republican

U.S. 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 c ...

from Iowa's 9th congressional district. His congressional career ended in the landslide that accompanied the election of

Franklin D. Roosevelt Franklin Delano Roosevelt (; ; January 30, 1882April 12, 1945), often referred to by his initials FDR, was an American politician and attorney who served as the 32nd president of the United States from 1933 until his death in 1945. As the ...

to his first term as president. Swanson was born in a farm near

Galesburg, Illinois Galesburg is a city in Knox County, Illinois, United States. The city is northwest of Peoria. At the 2010 census, its population was 32,195. It is the county seat of Knox County and the principal city of the Galesburg Micropolitan Statistical ...

Swedish Swedish or ' may refer to: Anything from or related to Sweden, a country in Northern Europe. Or, specifically: * Swedish language, a North Germanic language spoken primarily in Sweden and Finland ** Swedish alphabet, the official alphabet used by ...

immigrants, he attended the public schools in Galesburg. In 1890 he moved to Iowa with his parents, who settled on a farm in Ringgold County. He resumed his studies in the public school at

Clearfield, Iowa Clearfield is a city in Taylor and Ringgold counties in the U.S. state of Iowa. The population was 278 at the time of the 2020 census. History Clearfield was platted in 1881 when the Humeston and Shenandoah Railroad was being built through that ...

. He returned to Galesburg to attend Knox College, where he graduated in 1902. He then served as principal of schools at

Altona, Illinois Altona (formerly LaPier & Walnut Grove) is a village in Knox County, Illinois Knox County is a county in the U.S. state of Illinois. According to the 2020 census, it had a population of 49,967. Its county seat is Galesburg. Knox County comp ...

from 1902 to 1904. He attended law school at

Northwestern University Northwestern University is a private research university in Evanston, Illinois. Founded in 1851, Northwestern is the oldest chartered university in Illinois and is ranked among the most prestigious academic institutions in the world. Charte ...

and graduated in 1907, when he was admitted to the bar. He went into private practice in

Council Bluffs, Iowa Council Bluffs is a city in and the county seat of Pottawattamie County, Iowa, Pottawattamie County, Iowa, United States. The city is the most populous in Southwest Iowa, and is the third largest and a primary city of the Omaha–Council Bluffs ...

, where he served as prosecuting attorney of

Pottawattamie County, Iowa Pottawattamie County () is a county A county is a geographic region of a country used for administrative or other purposesChambers Dictionary, L. Brookes (ed.), 2005, Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd, Edinburgh in certain modern nations. Th ...

from 1915 to 1922. In 1928, Swanson was elected as a

Republican Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...

to the

U.S. House of Representatives 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 ...

. He was re-elected once, two years later. However, after reapportionment in 1931 placed him in

Iowa's 7th congressional district Iowa's 7th congressional district is a former congressional district in Iowa. It was eliminated after the 1970 election, leaving Iowa with six congressional districts. The state has since been reduced to four congressional districts. Redistrict ...

, he prevailed in the Republican primary but lost in the general election to Democrat

Otha Wearin Otha Donner Wearin (January 10, 1903 – April 3, 1990) was a writer and politician. Elected as the youngest member of Franklin D. Roosevelt's first "New Deal" Congress, his political career stalled in 1938 when he gave up his seat at Roosevelt's ...

. After resuming the practice of law, Swanson attempted to regain his seat in 1934, but was again defeated by Wearin. In all Swanson served in the Seventy-first and to the Seventy-second Congresses from March 4, 1929 to March 3, 1933. Swanson later served as chairman of the Council Bluffs Board of Tax Review from 1949 to 1968. He died in Council Bluffs on August 22, 1970, and was interred in Walnut Hill Cemetery.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Swanson, Charles Edward 1879 births 1970 deaths American people of Swedish descent American prosecutors Iowa lawyers Knox College (Illinois) alumni Northwestern University alumni People from Galesburg, Illinois Politicians from Council Bluffs, Iowa Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Iowa