Scott Swisher (July 15, 1919 - February 6, 1972) was an

Iowa Iowa () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States, bordered by the Mississippi River to the east and the Missouri River and Big Sioux River to the west. It is bordered by six states: Wisconsin to the northeast, Illinois to the ...

n lawyer and politician who served five terms in the

Iowa House of Representatives The Iowa House of Representatives is the lower house of the Iowa General Assembly, the upper house being the Iowa Senate. There are 100 seats in the Iowa House of Representatives, representing 100 single-member districts across the state, formed ...

Early life

Swisher was born on July 15, 1919, in

Iowa City, Iowa Iowa City, offically the City of Iowa City is a city in Johnson County, Iowa, United States. It is the home of the University of Iowa and county seat of Johnson County, at the center of the Iowa City Metropolitan Statistical Area. At the time ...

to Ingalls and Geneva Hanna Swisher. The Swishers had at least one other child, a son named Robert. After graduating from Iowa City's public schools, Scott attended the

University of Iowa The University of Iowa (UI, U of I, UIowa, or simply Iowa) is a public university, public research university in Iowa City, Iowa, United States. Founded in 1847, it is the oldest and largest university in the state. The University of Iowa is org ...

, where he received a

Bachelor of Arts Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four years ...

degree in 1942. He then proceeded to the University of Iowa College of Law and received his

law degree A law degree is an academic degree conferred for studies in law. Such degrees are generally preparation for legal careers. But while their curricula may be reviewed by legal authority, they do not confer a license themselves. A legal license is gra ...

the next year.

Career

Representing

Johnson County, Iowa Johnson County is located in the U.S. state of Iowa. As of the 2020 census, the population was 152,854, making it the fourth-most populous county in Iowa. The county seat is Iowa City, home of the University of Iowa. Johnson County is included ...

, Swisher was first elected as a Democratic

State Representative A state legislature is a legislative branch or body of a political subdivision in a federal system. Two federations literally use the term "state legislature": * The legislative branches of each of the fifty state governments of the United Sta ...

in 1955. He continued to serve until 1964 in the Fifty-Sixth, Fifty-Seventh, Fifty-Eighth, Fifty-Ninth, and Sixtieth Sessions of the

Iowa General Assembly The Iowa General Assembly is the legislative branch of the state government of Iowa. Like the federal United States Congress, the General Assembly is a bicameral body, composed of the upper house Iowa Senate and the lower Iowa House of Repres ...

. Swisher's accomplishments during his career in politics included: * Minority Floor Leader from 1956 to 1958 * Outstanding State Representative in 1959 by members of the media who covered legislative affairs * Budget and Financial Control Committee member from 1959 to 1963 * Governor's Board of Penal Affairs member He was twice a delegate to the

Democratic National Convention The Democratic National Convention (DNC) is a series of presidential nominating conventions held every four years since 1832 by the United States Democratic Party. They have been administered by the Democratic National Committee since the 1852 ...

and served on the Democratic national platform committee in 1960.

Other activities

In addition to his work in politics, Swisher was a practicing attorney at a law firm called ''Swisher and Swisher'' in Iowa City. He held office or membership in many organizations. At various times, he served as: * President of the Johnson County

Bar Association A bar association is a professional association of lawyers as generally organized in countries following the Anglo-American types of jurisprudence. The word bar is derived from the old English/European custom of using a physical railing to separ ...

* Member of the Iowa and

American Bar Association The American Bar Association (ABA) is a voluntary bar association of lawyers and law students, which is not specific to any jurisdiction in the United States. Founded in 1878, the ABA's most important stated activities are the setting of acad ...

s * Provincial president of Phi Delta Phi * Member of

Omicron Delta Kappa Omicron Delta Kappa (), also known as The Circle and ODK, is one of the most prestigious honor societies in the United States with chapters at more than 300 college campuses. It was founded December 3, 1914, at Washington and Lee University in ...

Honorary Scholastic Society * Member of

Rotary International Rotary International is one of the largest service organizations in the world. Its stated mission is to "provide service to others, promote integrity, and advance world understanding, goodwill, and peace through hefellowship of business, prof ...

, The Elks, The Loyal Order of Moose, The Fraternal Order of the Eagles, Phi Kappa Psi, and the

Knights of Pythias The Knights of Pythias is a fraternal organization and secret society founded in Washington, D.C., on . The Knights of Pythias is the first fraternal organization to receive a charter under an act of the United States Congress. It was founded ...

* Member of the

Iowa Historical Society The State Historical Society of Iowa (SHSI), a division of the Iowa Department of Cultural Affairs, serves as the official historical repository for the State of Iowa and also provides grants, public education, and outreach about Iowa history ...

* Member of the University of Iowa

Alumni Association An alumni association or alumnae association is an association of graduates or, more broadly, of former students (alumni). In the United Kingdom and the United States, alumni of universities, colleges, schools (especially independent schools), ...

* Member of the First

Presbyterian Presbyterianism is a part of the Reformed tradition within Protestantism that broke from the Roman Catholic Church in Scotland by John Knox, who was a priest at St. Giles Cathedral (Church of Scotland). Presbyterian churches derive their nam ...

Church

Personal life

In 1943, Swisher married Nancy J. IlgenFritz. They had a son, Scott, and a daughter, Sarah. In 1972, at age 52, Swisher suffered a

heart attack A myocardial infarction (MI), commonly known as a heart attack, occurs when blood flow decreases or stops to the coronary artery of the heart, causing damage to the heart muscle. The most common symptom is chest pain or discomfort which may tr ...

. He was taken to University Hospital in Iowa City, where he died on February 6. Nancy and both children (as well as Scott's brother Robert) survived him. After Swisher's death, the Iowa State Legislature read a proclamation that concluded: ''"Therefore, Be It Resolved by the House of Representatives of the Sixty-fourth General Assembly of Iowa: That in the passing of the Honorable Scott Swisher, the state has lost an honored citizen and a faithful and useful public servant, and the House by this resolution would express its appreciation of his service, and tender its sympathy to the members of his family.''"

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Swisher, Scott 1919 births 1972 deaths Democratic Party members of the Iowa House of Representatives University of Iowa alumni University of Iowa College of Law alumni 20th-century American legislators