Benjamin Swift (April 9, 1780 – November 11, 1847) was an American

lawyer A lawyer is a person who is qualified to offer advice about the law, draft legal documents, or represent individuals in legal matters. The exact nature of a lawyer's work varies depending on the legal jurisdiction and the legal system, as w ...

banker A bank is a financial institution that accepts Deposit account, 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 m ...

and

politician A politician is a person who participates in Public policy, policy-making processes, usually holding an elective position in government. Politicians represent the people, make decisions, and influence the formulation of public policy. The roles ...

from

Vermont Vermont () is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders Massachusetts to the south, New Hampshire to the east, New York (state), New York to the west, and the Provinces and territories of Ca ...

. He served as a

United States Representative The United States House of Representatives is a chamber of the Bicameralism, bicameral United States Congress; it is the lower house, with the U.S. Senate being the upper house. Together, the House and Senate have the authority under Artic ...

and

United States Senator The United States Senate consists of 100 members, two from each of the 50 U.S. state, states. This list includes all senators serving in the 119th United States Congress. Party affiliation Independent Senators Angus King of Maine and Berni ...

, and helped found the Whig Party.

Early life

Swift was born in

Amenia, New York Amenia is a Administrative divisions of New York#Town, town in Dutchess County, New York, United States. The population was 3,769 at the 2020 census, down from 4,436 at the 2010 census. The town is on the eastern border of the county. History ...

, the son of Job Swift and Mary Ann (Sedgwick) Swift. In 1786, at the age of five, he moved with his father to

Bennington Bennington is a New England town, town in Bennington County, Vermont, United States. It is one of two shire towns (county seats) of the county, the other being Manchester (town), Vermont, Manchester. As of the 2020 United States Census, US Cens ...

in the

Vermont Republic The Vermont Republic, officially known at the time as the State of Vermont, was an independent state in New England that existed from January 15, 1777, to March 4, 1791. The state was founded in January 1777, when delegates from 28 towns met ...

. He attended the common schools in Bennington before attending

Litchfield Law School The Litchfield Law School was a law school in Litchfield, Connecticut, that operated from 1774 to 1833. Litchfield was the first independent law school established in America for reading law. Founded and led by lawyer Tapping Reeve, the proprietar ...

in 1801. He studied law and was

admitted to the bar An admission to practice law is acquired when a lawyer receives a license to practice law. In jurisdictions with two types of lawyer, as with barristers and solicitors, barristers must gain admission to the bar whereas for solicitors there are dist ...

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 and the metropolitan borough of Greater Manchester, England. It had an estimated population of in . Greater Manchester is the third-most populous metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, with a population of 2.92&nbs ...

to practice law. In 1809 he moved to

St. Albans St Albans () is a cathedral city in Hertfordshire, England, east of Hemel Hempstead and west of Hatfield, north-west of London, south-west of Welwyn Garden City and south-east of Luton. St Albans was the first major town on the old Roman r ...

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 The Vermont State House, located in Montpelier, is the state capitol of the U.S. state of Vermont. It is the seat of the Vermont General Assembly. The current Greek Revival structure is the third building on the same site to be used as the ...

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 which 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 which 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: Arts and entertainment Film and television *'' Præsident ...

Andrew Jackson Andrew Jackson (March 15, 1767 – June 8, 1845) was the seventh president of the United States from 1829 to 1837. Before Presidency of Andrew Jackson, his presidency, he rose to fame as a general in the U.S. Army and served in both houses ...

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. They were the parents of nine children: Charles Henry, Cordelia, William, Catherine Sedgwick, Alfred Brown, Jane Harriet, George Sedgwick, Caroline, and Charles Benjamin.

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Swift, Benjamin 1780 births 1847 deaths People from Amenia, New York 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 Politicians from Bennington, Vermont Politicians from St. Albans, Vermont Vermont lawyers Litchfield Law School alumni Burials at Greenwood Cemetery (St. Albans, Vermont) 19th-century American lawyers Members of the United States House of Representatives from Vermont 19th-century members of the United States House of Representatives 19th-century United States senators 19th-century members of the Vermont General Assembly

Early life

Political career

Family life

References

Further reading

External links