Richard Nelson Swett (born May 1, 1957) is an American politician and diplomat from the

U.S. state In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its so ...

New Hampshire New Hampshire ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders Massachusetts to the south, Vermont to the west, Maine and the Gulf of Maine to the east, and the Canadian province of Quebec t ...

who served as the U.S. representative for

New Hampshire's 2nd congressional district New Hampshire's 2nd congressional district covers the western, northern, and some southern parts of New Hampshire. It includes the state's second-largest city, Nashua, New Hampshire, Nashua, as well as the state capital, Concord, New Hampshire, C ...

from 1991 to 1995. He also served as the U.S. Ambassador to Denmark from 1998 to 2001.

Early life, education and career

Swett was born in

Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania Bryn Mawr (, from Welsh language, Welsh for 'big hill') is a census-designated place (CDP) located in Pennsylvania, United States. It is located just west of Philadelphia along Lancaster Avenue, also known as U.S. Route 30 in Pennsylvania, U.S. ...

and moved to New Hampshire with his family as a child. He attended

Yale University Yale University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701, Yale is the List of Colonial Colleges, third-oldest institution of higher education in the United Stat ...

and then became an architect in San Francisco.

Political career

Swett became active in the Democratic Party and eventually began a political career. He was elected to 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 ...

in November 1990 but was defeated at the election in November 1994. In the run up to Swett's 1990 campaign, former

Governor of New Hampshire The governor of New Hampshire is the head of government of the U.S. state of New Hampshire. The governor is elected during the biennial state general election in November of even-numbered years. New Hampshire is one of only two states, along w ...

Meldrim Thomson, Jr. complained unsuccessfully that listing him on the ballot as "Dick Swett" would be unlawfully misleading, since he was listed as "Lantos-Swett" in the telephone book, voter registration, deed to real property, and business.

Mitt Romney Willard Mitt Romney (born March 12, 1947) is an American businessman and retired politician. He served as a United States Senate, United States senator from Utah from 2019 to 2025 and as the 70th governor of Massachusetts from 2003 to 2007 ...

donated $250 to his 1992 campaign. They were fellow Mormons with homes on

Lake Winnipesaukee Lake Winnipesaukee () is the largest lake in the U.S. state of New Hampshire, located in the Lakes Region at the foothills of the White Mountains. It is approximately long (northwest-southeast) and from wide (northeast-southwest), covering & ...

. In 1994, Swett voted for a bill to ban assault weapons that narrowly passed by two votes in the United States House of Representatives. His stand resulted in numerous threats against his life. In

1996 1996 was designated as: * International Year for the Eradication of Poverty Events January * January 8 – A Zairean cargo plane crashes into a crowded market in the center of the capital city of the Democratic Republic of the Congo ...

, Swett ran as a Democratic Party candidate for the Class 2 seat in the

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

from New Hampshire, against incumbent Republican Bob Smith, but was narrowly defeated. Smith had established himself as the most conservative Senator from the Northeast, and

Bill Clinton William Jefferson Clinton (né Blythe III; born August 19, 1946) is an American politician and lawyer who was the 42nd president of the United States from 1993 to 2001. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, ...

's coattails nearly caused his defeat. On the night of the election many American media networks incorrectly projected that Swett had won. In 1998,

appointed Swett to be

United States Ambassador to Denmark The first representative from the United States to Denmark was appointed in 1827 as a chargé d'affaires. There followed a series of chargés and ministers until 1890 when the first full ambassador ''(envoy extraordinary and minister plenipoten ...

. He served in that position until 2001, and then moved back to New Hampshire. Swett and Larry Coben wrote the national energy policy for Senator Joseph Lieberman's 2004 presidential campaign. Swett returned to the field of architecture, assuming the position of Managing Principal for the Washington office of Leo A. Daly before becoming co-founder and CEO of Climate Prosperity Enterprise Solutions. Swett is a member of the ReFormers Caucus of Issue One. On August 12, 2019, Swett endorsed

Joe Biden Joseph Robinette Biden Jr. (born November 20, 1942) is an American politician who was the 46th president of the United States from 2021 to 2025. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, he served as the 47th vice p ...

for President.

Personal life

Swett is a member of

the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, informally known as the LDS Church or Mormon Church, is a Nontrinitarianism, nontrinitarian Restorationism, restorationist Christianity, Christian Christian denomination, denomination and the ...

(LDS Church). In 1980, he married Katrina Lantos, a former congressional candidate and daughter of Congressman

Tom Lantos Thomas Peter Lantos (born Tamás Péter Lantos; February 1, 1928 – February 11, 2008) was a Hungarian-born American politician who served as a United States House of Representatives, U.S. representative from California from 1981 until his deat ...

; she had previously converted to the LDS Church while a student at Yale.
They have seven children.

Publications

References

External links

Swett AssociatesRichard N. Swett
at APCO Worldwide
Richard Swett, Consulting Principal
at the Greenway firm * *
Ambassador Richard M. Swett, FAIA
at Sepsis Alliance {{DEFAULTSORT:Swett, Richard 1957 births Living people Latter Day Saints from New Hampshire Ambassadors of the United States to Denmark Yale University alumni Clinton administration personnel People from Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania Architects from New Hampshire Democratic Party members of the United States House of Representatives from New Hampshire People from Bow, New Hampshire Candidates in the 1996 United States elections Members of Congress who became lobbyists 20th-century members of the United States House of Representatives