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Swift, Henry Adoniram "H.A."

Sessions Served  red ball graphic  Other Information


Map of Saint Peter
Saint Peter, MN

Senate 1862-65 (District 19)

Party when first elected:  Republican

Counties Served:  Brown, Davis (defunct), Nicollet, Pierce (defunct), Renville, Sibley, Watonwan

BIOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION

Date of Birth: 03/23/1823 Date of Death: 02/25/1869
Birth Place: Ravenna, Ohio Birth County:  Birth Country: United States
Other Names: H.A.
Gender:  Male Religion:  Not Reported
City of Residence (when first elected):  Saint Peter

Occupation (when first elected):  Lawyer/Partner, St. Peter Land Company

EDUCATION

Western Reserve College, Ohio; College Graduate; With Honors, 1842
Law Degree; Ohio; Admitted to Practice, 1845

OTHER GOVERNMENT SERVICE

State Legislative StaffOhio House of Representatives (Chief Clerk) ??/??/1847 to ??/??/1849
U.S. Executive BranchUnited States Land Office, St. Peter, Minnesota (Register) ??/??/1856 to 02/25/1869
MilitaryMinnesota (Sioux Uprising; Defense of New Ulm, Minnesota) ??/??/1862 to ??/??/1862
Board of RegentsUniversity of Minnesota (Ex Officio as Lieutenant Governor and Governor) 03/04/1863 to 01/11/1864
State Lieutenant GovernorMinnesota 03/04/1863 to 07/10/1863
State GovernorMinnesotaAppointed07/10/1863 to 01/11/1864

FAMILY RELATIONSHIPS

Spouse: Ruth Livingston (married on September 11,1851; she died in 1881)
Children: At least Two children: Mrs. W.M. Spackman and Mrs. G.S. Ives (daughters)
Family Members Who Have Served in the Minnesota Legislature:

GENERAL NOTES

He was of English ancestry.

He came to St. Paul, Minnesota in 1853. He moved to St. Peter, Minnesota in 1856.

"Republican party leaders nominated Swift for Sibley County's state Senate seat, after another candidate refused the offer." (Session Weekly, St. Paul: Minnesota House of Representatives Information Office, April 2, 1993, p. 16)

He ran unsuccessfully on the Republican ticket for the United States Congress in 1857.

The St. Paul newspaper traditionally listed members who won the election with party affiliation (Democrat or Republican). In 1862 they only identified the Democrats, the assumption is that the rest were Republicans. Since he wasn't identified as a Democrat, the assumption is that he was a Republican. (St. Paul Pioneer and Democrat, January 7, 1862)

He became Lieutenant Governor of Minnesota when Ignatius Donnelly resigned from the position to serve in the United States House of Representatives. (MHS Governors of MN)

He then became Governor of Minnesota when Alexander Ramsey resigned from the position to serve in the United States Senate. (MHS Governors of MN)

His grandfather, Dr. Isaac Swift, was a member of the Connecticut Legislature in 1772 and 1799.

Swift County, Minnesota was named after him.

He died from typhoid fever in St. Peter, Minnesota. He was buried in Ravenna, Ohio.

Legislative Session: 7th (1865)   Session Details
Body: Senate Elected: 11/3/1863 Term of Office: 1/5/1864 to 1/1/1866
District: 19 Residence: Saint Peter
Counties Represented: Brown, Davis (defunct), Nicollet, Pierce (defunct), Renville, Sibley, Watonwan
Occupation: Lawyer
Party: Not Available
Committees:
Federal Relations (Chair)
Indian Affairs (Chair)
Joint Agricultural Colleges and College Lands
Judiciary
Railroads
Legislative Session: 6th (1864)   Session Details
Body: Senate Elected: 11/3/1863 Term of Office: 1/5/1864 to 1/1/1866
District: 19 Residence: Saint Peter
Counties Represented: Brown, Davis (defunct), Nicollet, Pierce (defunct), Renville, Sibley, Watonwan
Occupation: Lawyer
Party: Not Available
Committees:
Federal Relations (Chair)
Indian Affairs (Chair)
Joint University
Public Lands
Railroads
Legislative Session: 5th (1863)   Session Details
Body: Senate Elected: 10/8/1861 Term of Office: 1/7/1862 to 1/4/1864
District: 19 Residence: Saint Peter
Counties Represented: Brown, Davis (defunct), Nicollet, Pierce (defunct), Renville, Sibley, Watonwan
Occupation: Lawyer
Party: Republican Party Notes: The St. Paul newspaper traditionally listed members who won the election with party affiliation (Democrat or Republican). In 1862 they only identified the Democrats, the assumption is that the rest were Republicans. Since he wasn't identified as a Democrat, the assumption is that he was a Republican. (St. Paul Pioneer and Democrat, January 7, 1862)
Committees:
Banks
Judiciary (Chair)
Legislative Session: 4th (1862)   Session Details
Body: Senate Elected: 10/8/1861 Term of Office: 1/7/1862 to 1/4/1864
District: 19 Residence: Saint Peter
Counties Represented: Brown, Davis (defunct), Nicollet, Pierce (defunct), Renville, Sibley, Watonwan
Occupation: Lawyer/Partner, St. Peter Land Company
Party: Republican Party Notes: "Republican party leaders nominated Swift for Sibley County's state Senate seat, after another candidate refused the offer." (Session Weekly, St. Paul: Minnesota House of Representatives Information Office, April 2, 1993, p. 16); The St. Paul newspaper traditionally listed members who won the election with party affiliation (Democrat or Republican). In 1862 they only identified the Democrats, the assumption is that the rest were Republicans. Since he wasn't identified as a Democrat, the assumption is that he was a Republican. (St. Paul Pioneer and Democrat, January 7, 1862)
Committees:
Banks
Judiciary (Chair)
Railroads and Railroad Grants

OTHER INFORMATION

Articles & Books About
"It's a Fact! (Henry Swift)." Session Weekly, St. Paul: Minnesota House of Representatives Information Office, April 2, 1993, p. 16.

Shutter, Marion Daniel. "Henry Adoniram Swift." Progressive Men of Minnesota, Minneapolis: The Minneapolis Journal, 1897, p. 452-454.

"Swift County." Minnesota Place Names (Electronic Resource), St. Paul, Minn.: Minnesota Historical Society.

Henry A. (Adoniram) Swift. Biographical Information from the Minnesota Historical Society's Governors of Minnesota.




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