Richard Nelson Swett (born May 1, 1957) is an

American politician The politics of the United States function within a framework of a constitutional federal republic and presidential system, with three distinct branches that share powers. These are: the U.S. Congress which forms the legislative branch, a bi ...

from the

U.S. state In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its sove ...

New Hampshire New Hampshire is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Massachusetts to the south, Vermont to the west, Maine and the Gulf of Maine to the east, and the Canadian province of Quebec to the nor ...

who served as the U.S. representative for

New Hampshire's 2nd congressional district New Hampshire's 2nd congressional district covers the western, northern, and some southern parts of New Hampshire. It includes the state's second-largest city, Nashua, as well as the state capital, Concord. It is currently represented in the Un ...

from 1991 to 1995. He also served as the U.S. Ambassador to Denmark from 1998 to 2001.

Early life, education and career

Swett was born in

Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania Bryn Mawr, pronounced , from Welsh language, Welsh for big hill, is a census-designated place (CDP) located across three townships: Radnor Township, Pennsylvania, Radnor Township and Haverford Township, Pennsylvania, Haverford Township in Delaw ...

and moved to New Hampshire with his family as a child. He attended

Yale University Yale University is a Private university, private research university in New Haven, Connecticut. Established in 1701 as the Collegiate School, it is the List of Colonial Colleges, third-oldest institution of higher education in the United Sta ...

and then became an architect in San Francisco.

Political career

Swett became active in the

Democratic Party Democratic Party most often refers to: *Democratic Party (United States) Democratic Party and similar terms may also refer to: Active parties Africa *Botswana Democratic Party *Democratic Party of Equatorial Guinea *Gabonese Democratic Party *Demo ...

and eventually began a political career. He was elected to the

United States 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 ...

in November 1990 but was defeated at the election in November 1994. In the run up to Swett's 1990 campaign, former

Governor of New Hampshire The governor of New Hampshire is the head of government of New Hampshire. The governor is elected during the biennial state general election in November of even-numbered years. New Hampshire is one of only two states, along with bordering Verm ...

Meldrim Thomson, Jr. complained unsuccessfully that listing him on the ballot as "Dick Swett" would be unlawfully misleading, since he was listed as "Lantos-Swett" in the telephone book, voter registration, deed to real property, and business. Mitt Romney donated $250 to his 1992 campaign. They were fellow Mormons with homes on

Lake Winnipesaukee Lake Winnipesaukee () is the largest lake in the U.S. state of New Hampshire, located in the Lakes Region at the foothills of the White Mountains. It is approximately long (northwest-southeast) and from wide (northeast-southwest), covering & ...

. In 1994, Swett voted for a bill to ban assault weapons that narrowly passed by two votes in the United States House of Representatives. His stand resulted in numerous threats against his life. In 1996, Swett ran as a Democratic Party candidate for the Class 2 seat in the

United States Senate 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 pow ...

from New Hampshire, against incumbent Republican Bob Smith, but was narrowly defeated. Smith had established himself as the most conservative Senator from the Northeast, and

Bill Clinton William Jefferson Clinton ( né Blythe III; born August 19, 1946) is an American politician who served as the 42nd president of the United States from 1993 to 2001. He previously served as governor of Arkansas from 1979 to 1981 and agai ...

's coattails nearly caused his defeat. On the night of the election many American media networks incorrectly projected that Swett had won. In 1998,

appointed Swett to be

United States Ambassador to Denmark The first representative from the United States to Denmark was appointed in 1827 as a Chargé d'Affaires. There followed a series of chargés and ministers until 1890 when the first full ambassador ''(Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipoten ...

. He served in that position until 2001, and then moved back to New Hampshire. Swett and

Larry Coben Lawrence S. "Larry" Coben (born 1958) is an archaeologist who founded the ESCALA Initiative and the Sustainable Preservation Initiative. He serves as Chairman of the Board of NRG Energy, the Fortune 200 integrated electricity company. Archaeolo ...

wrote the national energy policy for Senator

Joseph Lieberman Joseph Isadore Lieberman (; born February 24, 1942) is an American politician, lobbyist, and attorney who served as a United States senator from Connecticut from 1989 to 2013. A former member of the Democratic Party, he was its nominee for V ...

's 2004 presidential campaign. Swett returned to the field of architecture, assuming the position of Managing Principal for the

Washington Washington commonly refers to: * Washington (state), United States * Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States ** A metonym for the federal government of the United States ** Washington metropolitan area, the metropolitan area centered o ...

office of Leo A. Daly before becoming co-founder and CEO of Climate Prosperity Enterprise Solutions. Swett is a member of the ReFormers Caucus of Issue One. On August 12, 2019, Swett endorsed Joe Biden for President.

Personal life

Swett is a member of

the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, informally known as the LDS Church or Mormon Church, is a nontrinitarian Christian church that considers itself to be the restoration of the original church founded by Jesus Christ. The ch ...

(LDS Church). In 1980, he married Katrina Lantos, daughter of Congressman

Tom Lantos Thomas Peter Lantos (born Tamás Péter Lantos; February 1, 1928 – February 11, 2008) was a Holocaust survivor and American politician who served as a U.S. representative from California from 1981 until his death in 2008. A member of the Demo ...

and unsuccessful congressional candidate, who had previously converted to the LDS Church while a student at Yale.
They have seven children.

Publications

References

External links

Swett AssociatesRichard N. Swett
at

APCO Worldwide APCO Worldwide is a independent global public affairs and strategic communications consultancy. With 680 employees in 35 worldwide locations, it is also the fifth largest independently owned PR firm in the United States. Headquartered in W ...

Richard Swett, Consulting Principal
at the Greenway firm * *
Ambassador Richard M. Swett, FAIA
at Sepsis Alliance {{DEFAULTSORT:Swett, Richard 1957 births Living people Latter Day Saints from New Hampshire Ambassadors of the United States to Denmark Yale University alumni Clinton administration personnel People from Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania Architects from New Hampshire Democratic Party members of the United States House of Representatives from New Hampshire People from Bow, New Hampshire Candidates in the 1996 United States elections