Frances L. Swift (1837–1916) was an American church and temperance leader. For eight years, she served as president of the

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania, officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a U.S. state, state spanning the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern United States, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes region, Great Lakes regions o ...

Woman's Christian Temperance Union The Woman's Christian Temperance Union (WCTU) is an international temperance organization. It was among the first organizations of women devoted to social reform with a program that "linked the religious and the secular through concerted and far ...

(WCTU).

Early life and education

Frances Laura Damon was born in

Strongsville, Ohio Strongsville is a city in Cuyahoga County, Ohio, United States, and a suburb of Cleveland. As of the 2020 census, its population was 46,491. The city's nickname, Crossroads of the Nation, originated from the intersection between the Baltimore a ...

, February 6, 1837. She was descended from

New England New England is a region consisting of six states in the Northeastern United States: Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont. It is bordered by the state of New York (state), New York to the west and by the ...

ancestors, the Damons, who settled in

Massachusetts Massachusetts ( ; ), officially the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Maine to its east, Connecticut and Rhode ...

200 years earlier. Her mother removed to

Ohio Ohio ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Lake Erie to the north, Pennsylvania to the east, West Virginia to the southeast, Kentucky to the southwest, Indiana to the ...

, after the death of her father. Swift was educated in the Springfield Female Seminary, and taught there subsequently, in keeping with a

style of education.

Career

On August 12, 1857, she married Dr. Eliot E. Swift (d. 1887), of

New Castle, Pennsylvania New Castle is a city in Lawrence County, Pennsylvania, United States, and its county seat. Located along the Shenango River at the mouth of Neshannock Creek, it is northwest of Pittsburgh near the Pennsylvania–Ohio border, approximately so ...

, a young

Presbyterian Presbyterianism is a historically Reformed Protestant tradition named for its form of church government by representative assemblies of elders, known as "presbyters". Though other Reformed churches are structurally similar, the word ''Pr ...

minister. He was a descendant of the first Native American missionary, John Eliot. Dr. Swift was called to the assistance of his father, pastor of the First Presbyterian Church of

Allegheny, Pennsylvania Allegheny City was a municipality that existed in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania from 1788 until it was annexed by Pittsburgh in 1907. It was located north across the Allegheny River from downtown Pittsburgh, with its southwest border formed by ...

, whom he succeeded, and where he and his wife worked for 26 years. The tocsin of the

Women's Crusade The Woman's Crusade was a temperance movement, temperance campaign in the United States in 1873-1874, preceding the formation of the Woman's Christian Temperance Union (WCTU) in November 1874. It was a series of non-violent protests fighting ag ...

(1873–1874) brought out Swift's prompt response. She organized the Bellevue Union on January 17, 1881, at the Bellevue Presbyterian Church, becoming the leader of the first crusade band in the State. The Brown's Chapel Union organized by Swift in 1881 or 1882, was reported the only ''

colored ''Colored'' (or ''coloured'') is a racial descriptor historically used in the United States during the Jim Crow era to refer to an African American. In many places, it may be considered a slur. Dictionary definitions The word ''colored'' wa ...

'' Union in the State. Forty-three delegates attended the first State Convention of the WCTU for organization at

Philadelphia Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...

, March 3, 1875, fifteen of whom came from Allegheny County, including Swift. From 1881 to 1889, the State work prospered under Swift's care as state president of the Pennsylvania WCTU. Under her leadership, the Juvenile Literature and Scientific Instruction Departments became successful, and the Constitutional Amendment work received the continued support of the WCTU throughout the State. Dr. Swift's example helped the cause of temperance, gaining the cooperation of other ministers, and opening doors of opportunity. During her tensure, the State WCTU reported to the National Convention the work of 1,051 Unions, easily outranking all other States. As a striking testimony to her urbanity, former Presidents of both State and National WCTU occupied superintendencies under her guidance. In 1887, she resigned the position of president of the State WCTU, having had 1,100 unions under her care. During the eight consecutive years that Swift served as president of the State WCTU, she also served as president of the local union, where she first pledged herself. She was vice-president of the Woman's Board of Foreign Missions of her church, a member of the Board of State Charities, and actively identified with many benevolent institutions of the city.

Personal life

Dr. and Mrs. Swift had five children: George, Elisha, Mary, Elisha, and Mary. In 1887, she went to Europe for 18 months with her daughter and two other young women. Frances Laura Swift died on January 9, 1916, in

Colorado Springs, Colorado Colorado Springs is the most populous city in El Paso County, Colorado, United States, and its county seat. The city had a population of 478,961 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, a 15.02% increase since 2010 United States Census, 2 ...

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Swift, Frances L. 1837 births 1916 deaths Wikipedia articles incorporating text from A Woman of the Century People from Strongsville, Ohio Presidents of the Woman's Christian Temperance Union Temperance activists from Pennsylvania