John Franklin Swift (February 28, 1829 – March 10, 1891) was an American politician and author. Swift was a Republican member of the California State Assembly. He represented the 8th district (County of San Francisco) in 1863 and 1873-75. In 1875, he ran as an independent for congress, but lost to William A. Piper. He later represented the 13th District from 1877 to 1880. In 1886, he ran for Governor of California, but lost to Democrat Washington Montgomery Bartlett. Along with Newton Booth, Swift formed an Independent Republican party whose platform was dominated by an anti-monopoly plank. Swift served as the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary An envoy extraordinary and minister plenipotentiary, usually known as a minister, was a diplomatic head of mission who was ranked below ambassador. A diplomatic mission headed by an envoy was known as a legation rather than an embassy. Under the ...

to Japan from 1889 to 1891.

Biography

Swift was born in Bowling Green, Kentucky, and died in Tokyo, Japan, but spent most of his career in San Francisco, California. Swift was admitted to the California bar in 1857. He worked for the U.S. Land Office from 1865-1866. He was appointed to serve as a regent for the University of California from 1872-88. In 1888, Swift was the delegate-at-large to the Republican National Convention. In 1867 Swift travelled on the USS ''Quaker City'' to the Holy City, the trip that Mark Twain made famous in his book ''

Innocents Abroad ''The Innocents Abroad, or The New Pilgrims' Progress'' is a travel book by American author Mark Twain. Published in 1869, it humorously chronicles what Twain called his "Great Pleasure Excursion" on board the chartered vessel ''Quaker City'' ...

''. Swift's version of this journey is captured in his book ''Going to Jericho; or, Sketches of Travel in Spain and the East.'' As a legislator, Swift wrote provisions in the California State Constitution which gave the county board of supervisors the authority to control water rates. In June, 1880, as a member of the treaty commission to China headed by

James Burrill Angell James Burrill Angell (January 7, 1829 – April 1, 1916) was an American educator and diplomat. He is best known for being the longest-serving president of the University of Michigan, from 1871 to 1909. He represented the transition from sma ...

, U.S. Chief Chinese Negotiator, Swift traveled with fellow commission member William Henry Trescot and Angell to Peking (now Beijing), China. The result was the

Angell Treaty of 1880 The Angell Treaty of 1880 (), formally known as the Treaty Regulating Immigration from China, was a modification of the 1868 Burlingame Treaty between the United States and China, passed in Beijing, China, on November 17, 1880. Historical con ...

which limited the

Burlingame Treaty The Burlingame Treaty (), also known as the Burlingame–Seward Treaty of 1868, was a landmark treaty between the United States and Qing China, amending the Treaty of Tientsin, to establish formal friendly relations between the two nations, with ...

of 1868. The Angell Treaty regulated and limited the immigration of Chinese laborers to the United States but did not prohibit it outright. It separated U.S. trade interests from the immigration issue, and made a legal opening for an exclusion law. In Chae Chan Ping v. the United States, Swift and LA District Attorney Stephen M. White on behalf of California succeeded in moving the U.S. Supreme Court to uphold the constitutionality of the Chinese Exclusion Act, 1888.

Publications

He is considered one of the writers of the Sagebrush School with Joseph T. Goodman, Mark Twain, Fred H. Hart, Henry Rust Mighels,

Dan DeQuille William Wright (1829–1898), better known by the pen name Dan DeQuille or Dan De Quille, was an American author, journalist, and humorist. He was best known for his written accounts of the people, events, and silver mining operations on the Com ...

, Samuel Post Davis, John Franklin Swift, Charles Carroll Goodwin, Joseph Wasson, Rollin M. Daggett. and others.

Bret Hart Bret Hart (born July 2, 1957) is a Canadian-American retired professional wrestler, currently signed to WWE under a legend's contract. A member of the Hart wrestling family and a second-generation wrestler, he has an amateur wrestling back ...

commented that "of the three humorous writers:

Twain Twain may refer to: People * Mark Twain, pen name of American writer Samuel Langhorne Clemens (1835–1910) * Norman Twain (1930–2016), American film producer * Shania Twain (born 1965), Canadian singer-songwriter Places * Twain, California, a ...

, Miller, and Swift, the last was the greatest genius. * ''Going to Jericho; or, Sketches of Travel in Spain and the East (1868)'' * ''Grant And Wilson: Speech Of The Hon. John F. Swift,Delivered At Platt's Hall, July 9, 1872'' * ''Robert Greathouse: An American Novel (1870)'' * ''Robert Greathouse: A Story Of The Nevada Silver Mines (1878)'' * ''The Present and Future of the University'' (1887) * ''California a Republican state: Address to the Republicans of California'' (1888)

Personal

Swift's father was Nathan Williamson Swift and his mother was Sarah "Sallie" Campbell. Swift was married to suffragist and clubwoman Mary A. Wood (1841–1927), daughter of Emily Morrell and William Wood.Retrieved June 30, 2011: www.spiddyskids.com/relationship.php?generations=15&altprimarypersonID=I7979&savedpersonID=I17979&secondpersonID=I7977&tree=entire&primarypersonID=I7977

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Swift, John Franklin 1829 births 1891 deaths American humorists Republican Party members of the California State Assembly Sagebrush School 19th-century American diplomats 19th-century American politicians