Oscar William Swift (April 11, 1869 – June 30, 1940) was an American attorney and politician who served as a

U.S. Representative The United States House of Representatives is a chamber of the 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 Article One of th ...

from

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York New York may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * ...

Biography

Swift was born in Paines Hollow, New York on April 11, 1869, the son of Judson and Julia E. (Peters) Swift. His family subsequently moved to Michigan, where they settled in

Adrian Adrian is a form of the Latin given name Adrianus or Hadrianus. Its ultimate origin is most likely via the former river Adria from the Venetic and Illyrian word ''adur'', meaning "sea" or "water". The Adria was until the 8th century BC the ma ...

in 1877. He attended the public schools and the

University of Michigan at Ann Arbor The University of Michigan (U-M, U of M, or Michigan) is a public university, public research university in Ann Arbor, Michigan, United States. Founded in 1817, it is the oldest institution of higher education in the state. The University of Mi ...

. After deciding on a career in the law, Swift attended the

New York Law School New York Law School (NYLS) is a private, American law school in the Tribeca neighborhood in Manhattan, New York City. The third oldest law school in New York City, its history predates its official founding in 1891 by Theodore William Dwight, T ...

, from which he graduated in 1896. He 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 1897 and commenced practice in New York City. In 1899, Swift married Jessie A. William of

Brooklyn Brooklyn is a Boroughs of New York City, borough of New York City located at the westernmost end of Long Island in the New York (state), State of New York. Formerly an independent city, the borough is coextensive with Kings County, one of twelv ...

. They were the parents of four children: Dorothy, Harriet, Josephine, and Warren. A Republican, Swift was elected as to the United States House of Representatives in 1914. He was reelected in 1916 and served in the 64th and 65th Congresses, March 4, 1915 to March 3, 1919. He was an unsuccessful candidate for reelection in 1918. After leaving Congress, Swift resumed law practice in New York City and resided in Brooklyn. He died in Brooklyn on June 30, 1940. Swift was interred at Kensico Cemetery in

Valhalla, New York Valhalla ( ) is a hamlet and census-designated place (CDP) within the town of Mount Pleasant, in Westchester County, New York, United States, in the New York City metropolitan area. Its population was 3,162 at the 2010 U.S. Census. The name wa ...

References

Sources

{{DEFAULTSORT:Swift, Oscar W. 1869 births 1940 deaths New York Law School alumni University of Michigan alumni Burials at Kensico Cemetery Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from New York (state) People from Little Falls, New York Politicians from Herkimer County, New York 20th-century members of the United States House of Representatives