John Swegles Jr. (April 15, 1819December 17, 1861) was a

Michigan Michigan ( ) is a peninsular U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest, Upper Midwestern United States. It shares water and land boundaries with Minnesota to the northwest, Wisconsin to the west, ...

politician.

Early life

Swegles was born on April 15, 1819, in

Hector, New York Hector is a town in the northeastern corner of Schuyler County, New York, United States. The population was 4,916 at the 2020 census. The town is named after Hector, as in Greek mythology. Hector is west of Ithaca. History The area was origi ...

. At the age of eighteen, he began to study medicine. Swegles left his studies to sign on as a purser's clerk on the during a survey of the Atlantic Coast.

Career

Swegles moved to

Jonesville, Michigan Jonesville is a city in Hillsdale County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 2,176 at the 2020 census. History The area was first settled by brothers Benaiah and Edmund Jones, who came here from Painesville, Ohio in 1828 and purch ...

in 1840. He served as county clerk for

Hillsdale County Hillsdale County is a county located in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2020 Census, the population was 45,746. The county seat is Hillsdale. Hillsdale County is the only county in Michigan to border both Indiana and Ohio. Due to an a ...

from 1845 to 1849. Swegles then served as

Michigan Auditor General The Michigan auditor general is the chief fiscal officer of the State of Michigan. The Office of the Auditor General was established in 1836 and, with changes to the Michigan Constitution in 1963, has become the independent oversight arm of the Leg ...

from 1851 to 1854. He was the founder of

St. Johns, Michigan St. Johns or Saint Johns is the largest city and county seat of Clinton County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 7,698 at the 2020 census. St. Johns is located in the north of Clinton County, surrounded by Bingham Township (alth ...

Personal life

Swegles was the father-in-law of Oliver L. Spaulding.

Death

Swegles died in

, on December 17, 1861. He was interred at Mount Rest Cemetery in St. Johns.

References

1819 births 1861 deaths People from Schuyler County, New York United States Navy sailors People from Jonesville, Michigan Michigan auditors general American city founders People from St. Johns, Michigan 19th-century Michigan politicians {{Michigan-politician-stub