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, solicit ...

banker A bank is a financial institution that accepts 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 markets. Becaus ...

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, ...

from

Vermont Vermont () is a U.S. state, 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 (state), New York to the west, and the Provin ...

. 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 chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States. The composition and po ...

, 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 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 s ...

. 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. (Wh ...

in 1801. He studied law and was admitted to the bar 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 profes ...

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 ...

to practice law. In 1809 he moved to St. Albans 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 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 ...

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 ...

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 ...

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

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

Early life

Political career

Family life

References

Further reading

External links