Philetus Swift (June 26, 1763 in

Kent Kent is a county in South East England and one of the home counties. It borders Greater London to the north-west, Surrey to the west and East Sussex to the south-west, and Essex to the north across the estuary of the River Thames; it faces ...

Litchfield County, Connecticut Litchfield County is in northwestern Connecticut. As of the 2020 census, the population was 185,186. The county was named after Lichfield, in England. Litchfield County has the lowest population density of any county in Connecticut and is the ...

– July 24, 1828 in

Phelps Phelps may refer to: Places in the United States * Phelps, Kentucky * Phelps, Michigan, an unincorporated community * Phelps, New York ** Phelps (village), New York * Phelps, Wisconsin, a town ** Phelps (community), Wisconsin, an unincorporated co ...

Ontario County, New York Ontario County is a county in the U.S. State of New York. As of the 2020 census, the population was 112,458. The county seat is Canandaigua. Ontario County is part of the Rochester, NY Metropolitan Statistical Area. In 2006, ''Progressive ...

) was an American politician.

Life

He was the son of Elisha Swift (born 1731) and Mary Ransom (born 1738). One of Swift's older brothers was future Brigadier General John Swift. On April 4, 1786, he married his first wife Electra Goodrich in

Sharon, Connecticut Sharon is a town in Litchfield County, Connecticut, United States, in the northwest corner of the state. At the time of the 2020 census, the town had a total population of 2,680. The ZIP code for Sharon is 06069. The urban center of the town is ...

. On May 22, 1793, he married his second wife Sally Deane (1774–1820?) in Phelps, New York, and their son was Deane Swift (1794–1818). On November 26, 1823, he married his third wife Fanny (or Fauna, Fawnia, Faunia) Cole (c. 1792–1880), and their daughter was Electra Jane Swift (1825–1904). He was a member of the New York State Assembly from

Genesee Genesee, derived from the Seneca word for "pleasant valley", may refer to: Geographic features Canada *Genesee, Alberta, an unincorporated community United States *Genesee, California *Genesee, Colorado *Genesee County, Michigan *Genesee Co ...

, Ontario and Allegany Counties in 1807 and 1808, and from Ontario County in 1823. He fought in the

War of 1812 The War of 1812 (18 June 1812 – 17 February 1815) was fought by the United States, United States of America and its Indigenous peoples of the Americas, indigenous allies against the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, United Kingdom ...

, and became a lieutenant colonel. He was a member from the Western District of the New York State Senate from 1810 to 1815 and from 1816 to 1818. In February 1817, when

John Tayler John Tayler (July 4, 1742 – March 19, 1829) was a merchant and politician. He served nine years as Lieutenant Governor of New York, four months acting as the sixth Governor of New York, and also in both houses of the New York State Legislatur ...

became Acting Governor of New York after the resignation of

Daniel D. Tompkins Daniel D. Tompkins (June 21, 1774 – June 11, 1825) was an American politician. He was the fifth governor of New York from 1807 to 1817, and the sixth vice president of the United States from 1817 to 1825. Born in Scarsdale, New York, Tompkins ...

, Swift was elected President pro tempore of the State Senate. He was Acting Lieutenant Governor of New York until July 1, 1817. Swift was a

presidential elector The United States Electoral College is the group of presidential electors required by the Constitution to form every four years for the sole purpose of appointing the president and vice president. Each state and the District of Columbia app ...

1820 Events January–March *January 1 – Nominal beginning of the Trienio Liberal in Spain: A constitutionalist military insurrection at Cádiz leads to the summoning of the Spanish Parliament (March 7). *January 8 – General Maritime T ...

, voting for

James Monroe James Monroe ( ; April 28, 1758July 4, 1831) was an American statesman, lawyer, diplomat, and Founding Father who served as the fifth president of the United States from 1817 to 1825. A member of the Democratic-Republican Party, Monroe was ...

and

. Swift was originally buried at the Pioneer Cemetery at Phelps, N.Y. However, in the early 1900s, his granddaughter had his remains reinterred in the Webster Rural Cemetery in Webster, N.Y.

Sources

Political Graveyard

''The New York Civil List'' compiled by Franklin Benjamin Hough (pages 121ff, 180f, 199f; Weed, Parsons and Co., 1858)

Cole genealogy

Burial records in Ontario County

Swift/Cole genealogy, at RootsWeb

''The Regents of the University of the State of New York: 1784-1959'' compiled by Albert Bickmore Corey (University of the State of New York, 1959; page 31)

Revolutionary War Soldiers Buried in Monroe County, New York—lists Swift's burial in Webster Rural Cemetery {{DEFAULTSORT:Swift, Philetus 1763 births 1828 deaths Lieutenant Governors of New York (state) People from Phelps, New York American military personnel of the War of 1812 People from Kent, Connecticut 1820 United States presidential electors