Philip David Swing (November 30, 1884 – August 8, 1963) was an American Republican politician from

Imperial County, California Imperial County is a county located on the southeast border of the U.S. state of California. As of the 2020 census, the population was 179,702, ranking as the least populous county in Southern California. The county seat and largest city is ...

. He served six terms in the

United States House of Representatives 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 ...

from 1921 to 1933. __TOC__

Biography

Swing was born 1884 in

San Bernardino, California San Bernardino ( ) is a city in and the county seat of San Bernardino County, California, United States. Located in the Inland Empire region of Southern California, the city had a population of 222,101 in the 2020 census, making it the List of ...

to James and Mary Swing. He attended the public schools and graduated in 1905 from

Stanford University Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University, is a Private university, private research university in Stanford, California, United States. It was founded in 1885 by railroad magnate Leland Stanford (the eighth ...

. He was a first lieutenant in the

California National Guard The California National Guard (Cal Guard) is part of the National Guard (United States), National Guard of the United States, a dual federal–state military reserve force in the state of California. It has three components: the California Army ...

during 1906–1908. Swing studied law and was admitted to the bar in 1907.

Early career

He was city attorney of Brawley, California in 1908 and 1909, deputy district attorney of Imperial County 1908–1911, district attorney 1911–1915, chief counsel of the

Imperial Irrigation District The Imperial Irrigation District (IID) is an irrigation district that serves the Imperial Valley and a large portion of the eastern and southern Coachella Valley in the Colorado Desert region of Southern California. Established under the Stat ...

1916–1919, and Judge of the Imperial County Superior Court 1919–1921. During 1920–1932 Swing was delegate to the Republican State conventions at

Sacramento Sacramento ( or ; ; ) is the capital city of the U.S. state of California and the seat of Sacramento County. Located at the confluence of the Sacramento and American Rivers in Northern California's Sacramento Valley, Sacramento's 2020 p ...

, serving as chairman in 1926. During

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

he served as a private in the Officers Training Camp in 1918.

Marriage

Swing was married to Nell Cremeens in 1912.

Congress

Swing was first elected to the

House of Representatives House of Representatives is the name of legislative bodies in many countries and sub-national entities. In many countries, the House of Representatives is the lower house of a bicameral legislature, with the corresponding upper house often ...

in 1920. He replaced William Kettner in representing the 11th District, which included both Imperial County and

San Diego County San Diego County (), officially the County of San Diego, is a county in the southwest corner of the U.S. state of California, north to its border with Mexico. As of the 2020 census, the population was 3,298,634; it is the second-most populous ...

. He had a folksy manner and during his six terms, 1921–1933, as a progressive Republican, he focused on water issues. He worked especially hard to obtain water from the Colorado River by building Boulder Dam. His single-minded determination resulted in 1928 in the Swing-Johnson Act, co-sponsored by Sen.

Hiram Johnson Hiram Warren Johnson (September 2, 1866August 6, 1945) was an American attorney and politician who served as the 23rd governor of California from 1911 to 1917 and represented California in the U.S. Senate for five terms from 1917 to 1945. Johns ...

, which authorized Boulder Dam. This was in the face of opposition from the State of

Arizona Arizona is a U.S. state, state in the Southwestern United States, Southwestern region of the United States, sharing the Four Corners region of the western United States with Colorado, New Mexico, and Utah. It also borders Nevada to the nort ...

, private power companies, and

bureaucratic inertia Bureaucratic inertia is the supposed inevitable tendency of bureaucratic Bureaucracy ( ) is a system of organization where laws or regulatory authority are implemented by civil servants or non-elected officials (most of the time). Historic ...

. The project brought water to

Southern California Southern California (commonly shortened to SoCal) is a geographic and Cultural area, cultural List of regions of California, region that generally comprises the southern portion of the U.S. state of California. Its densely populated coastal reg ...

and enabled

San Diego San Diego ( , ) is a city on the Pacific coast of Southern California, adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a population of over 1.4 million, it is the List of United States cities by population, eighth-most populous city in t ...

to grow and prosper.

Later career

In 1932 he chose not to run for re-election, and joined a law firm in San Diego. In 1933, as one of his last acts in Congress, he introduced a bill to establish

Anza-Borrego Desert State Park Anza-Borrego Desert State Park (, ''Help:Pronunciation respelling key, AN-zə bə-RAY-goh'') is a California State Park located within the Colorado Desert of Southern California, United States. Created in 1932, the park takes its name from 18th ...

, which passed in March. In 1945, Swing was appointed a member of the California State Water Resources Board, serving until 1958.

Death and burial

Swing died 1963 in San Diego and is buried at Greenwood Memorial Park. A water fountain at the Community Concourse at Third and C Streets is dedicated to Phil Swing, "The Father of Boulder Dam."

External links

*
Biography
(San Diego Historical Society)

an

''History of San Diego'' (1967) by Richard Pourade. Covers Swing and Boulder Dam history * {{DEFAULTSORT:Swing, Phil 1884 births 1963 deaths Politicians from San Diego Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from California Burials at Greenwood Memorial Park (San Diego) People from Imperial County, California Politicians from San Bernardino, California California National Guard personnel National Guard (United States) officers United States Army personnel of World War I United States Army soldiers 20th-century members of the United States House of Representatives