Charles Swindall (February 13, 1876 – June 19, 1939) was a

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

Oklahoma Oklahoma (; Choctaw language, Choctaw: ; chr, ᎣᎧᎳᎰᎹ, ''Okalahoma'' ) is a U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States, bordered by Texas on the south and west, Kansas on the nor ...

Early life

Born at College Mound near

Terrell, Texas Terrell is a city in Kaufman County, Texas, United States. As of the 2020 census, the city population was 17,465. Terrell is located about east of Dallas. History Terrell developed as a railroad town, beginning in 1873 with construction here ...

, Swindall attended the public schools and

Vanderbilt University Vanderbilt University (informally Vandy or VU) is a private research university in Nashville, Tennessee. Founded in 1873, it was named in honor of shipping and rail magnate Cornelius Vanderbilt, who provided the school its initial $1-million ...

Nashville, Tennessee Nashville is the capital city of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the county seat, seat of Davidson County, Tennessee, Davidson County. With a population of 689,447 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 U.S. census, Nashville is the List of muni ...

. He graduated from

Cumberland School of Law Cumberland School of Law is an American Bar Association, ABA accredited law school at Samford University in Birmingham, Alabama, United States. It was founded in 1847 at Cumberland University in Lebanon, Tennessee and is the 11th oldest law schoo ...

Cumberland University Cumberland University is a private university in Lebanon, Tennessee. It was founded in 1842. The campus's current historic buildings were constructed between 1892 and 1896. History 1842-1861 The university was founded by the Cumberland ...

Lebanon, Tennessee Lebanon is the county seat of Wilson County, Tennessee, United States. The population was 38,431 at the 2020 census. Lebanon is located in Middle Tennessee, approximately east of downtown Nashville. Lebanon is part of the Nashville Metropolit ...

, in 1897.

Career

Charles Swindall was admitted to the bar the same year and commenced practice in

Woodward, Oklahoma Woodward is a city in and the county seat of Woodward County, Oklahoma, United States. It is the largest city in a nine-county area. The population was 11,975 at the United States Census. The area was historically occupied by the Kiowa, Coman ...

. Swindall was the prosecuting attorney of Day (later Ellis) County 1898–1900. In 1900, he returned to Woodward to continue his law practice, working primarily with the Texas Cattle Raisers Association on cattle rustling cases, achieving 33 convictions.

Congressional Service

In the 1916 Republican National Convention, Swindall served as an Oklahoma delegate. He was a member of the Oklahoma State Republican Committee from 1919 to 1929. Swindall 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 Sixty-sixth Congress to fill the vacancy caused by the death of Dick T. Morgan, and served from November 2, 1920, to March 3, 1921, serving on the Public Land Committee. Following his unsuccessful bid for renomination to the Sixty-seventh Congress, he returned to his practice in

Judicial Service

He was appointed April 26, 1924, judge of the twentieth judicial district of Oklahoma. Swindall holds the title of the first Oklahoma judge to give a death sentence for committing a robbery with firearms. However, the defendant's sentence was later reduced to life imprisonment. He served as a justice of the

Oklahoma Supreme Court The Supreme Court of Oklahoma is a court of appeal for non-criminal cases, one of the two highest judicial bodies in the U.S. state of Oklahoma, and leads the judiciary of Oklahoma, the judicial branch of the government of Oklahoma.

from 1929 to 1934. Swindall refused to be partisan in his nominees, preferring to judge candidates on their qualifications, not their loyalty to a particular party. Wanting Swindall to only support Republicans, the Oklahoma State Election Board refused Swindall's renomination to his post. Swindall sued the Board and was victorious in his suit, but did not win re-election. Following his judicial appointments, he resumed the practice of law in

Oklahoma City, Oklahoma Oklahoma City (), officially the City of Oklahoma City, and often shortened to OKC, is the capital and largest city of the U.S. state of Oklahoma. The county seat of Oklahoma County, it ranks 20th among United States cities in population, and ...

Personal life and death

In 1911 Charles Swindall and Emma Endres were wed. Charles Swindall died of a heart attack on June 19, 1939, in Oklahoma City, and was interred in Memorial Park Cemetery.

Sources

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Swindall, Charles 1876 births 1939 deaths People from Woodward, Oklahoma Justices of the Oklahoma Supreme Court Oklahoma state court judges Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Oklahoma People from Kaufman County, Texas People from Terrell, Texas 20th-century American politicians