William Marshall Swayne (December 1, 1828 – May 1, 1918) was an American sculptor and writer who lived in

Chester County, Pennsylvania Chester County (Pennsylvania Dutch language, Pennsylvania Dutch: ''Tscheschter Kaundi''), colloquially referred to as Chesco, is a County (United States), county in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. It is located in ...

Biography

William Marshall Swayne, commonly known as Marshall Swayne, was born on December 1, 1828, in

Pennsbury Township, Pennsylvania Pennsbury Township is a Township (Pennsylvania), township in Chester County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 3,604 at the 2010 United States census, 2010 census. History The Barns-Brinton House, Brinton-King Farmstead, Fairvi ...

. He married Mary S. Barnard in 1850 and had eight children. At the suggestion of Supreme Court justice

Noah Haynes Swayne Noah Haynes Swayne (December 7, 1804 – June 8, 1884) was an American jurist and politician. He was the first Republican appointed as a justice to the United States Supreme Court. Early life Swayne was born in Frederick County, Virginia in th ...

, he was appointed to the

United States Treasury Department The Department of the Treasury (USDT) is the national treasury and finance department of the federal government of the United States. It is one of 15 current U.S. government departments. The department oversees the Bureau of Engraving and ...

by President

Abraham Lincoln Abraham Lincoln (February 12, 1809 – April 15, 1865) was the 16th president of the United States, serving from 1861 until Assassination of Abraham Lincoln, his assassination in 1865. He led the United States through the American Civil War ...

. Swayne had a farm in East Marlborough Township, Pennsylvania, and later lived in

Kennett Square Kennett Square is a borough in Chester County, Pennsylvania, United States. As of the 2020 U.S. census, Kennett Square had a population of 5,943. Kennett Square is located in the Delaware Valley and considered a suburb of both Philadelphia, t ...

. He died on May 1, 1918.

Artistic career

Swayne was a self-taught artist who sculpted many figures from history and from life, including General Anthony Wayne,

Salmon P. Chase Salmon Portland Chase (January 13, 1808May 7, 1873) was an American politician and jurist who served as the sixth chief justice of the United States from 1864 to his death in 1873. Chase served as the 23rd governor of Ohio from 1856 to 1860, r ...

Edwin M. Stanton Edwin McMasters Stanton (December 19, 1814December 24, 1869) was an American lawyer and politician who served as U.S. secretary of war under the Lincoln Administration during most of the American Civil War. Stanton's management helped organize ...

William H. Seward William Henry Seward (; May 16, 1801 – October 10, 1872) was an American politician who served as United States Secretary of State from 1861 to 1869, and earlier served as governor of New York and as a United States senator. A determined opp ...

Andrew Johnson Andrew Johnson (December 29, 1808July 31, 1875) was the 17th president of the United States, serving from 1865 to 1869. The 16th vice president, he assumed the presidency following the assassination of Abraham Lincoln. Johnson was a South ...

Bayard Taylor Bayard Taylor (January 11, 1825December 19, 1878) was an American poet, literary critic, translator, travel author, and diplomat. As a poet, he was very popular, with a crowd of more than 4,000 attending a poetry reading once, which was a record ...

, General George Meade,

Sam Houston Samuel Houston (, ; March 2, 1793 – July 26, 1863) was an American general and statesman who played a prominent role in the Texas Revolution. He served as the first and third president of the Republic of Texas and was one of the first two indi ...

, and John Hickman.

Bust of Lincoln

Swayne did several sculptures of Lincoln, including a bust of the president while he posed for him and recited poetry to visitors. Lincoln said of the sculpture, "I have sat for several to model my likeness, but I like yours best." The Division of Government, Politics, and Reform at the

National Museum of American History The National Museum of American History: Kenneth E. Behring Center is a historical museum in Washington, D.C. It collects, preserves, and displays the heritage of the United States in the areas of social, political, cultural, scientific, and m ...

(NMAH) houses a copy of Swayne's bust of Abraham Lincoln. It was donated to the

Smithsonian Institution The Smithsonian Institution ( ), or simply the Smithsonian, is a group of museums, Education center, education and Research institute, research centers, created by the Federal government of the United States, U.S. government "for the increase a ...

in 1940 by Swayne's heirs. It is bronzed plaster and is 30" high by 19" wide. It is marked, "W.M. Swayne, Scpr. June 8, 1864." The sculpture was last on view in 1999 when it was lent to the Lincoln Museum in

Fort Wayne, Indiana Fort Wayne is a city in Allen County, Indiana, United States, and its county seat. Located in northeastern Indiana, the city is west of the Ohio border and south of the Michigan border. The city's population was 263,886 at the 2020 census ...

, for an exhibition titled "Lincoln from Life." Swayne also made several smaller copies of this bust that were given to family, friends, and presidents. It is reported that 10 were made. President Fillmore was one among the ten that received a copy of Swayne's famous bust.President Fillmore's family archives

References

External links

Entry for William Marshall SWAYNE, The Pennocks of Primitive Hall website, Gedpage Version 2.20 ©2000 on 25 December 2010
{{DEFAULTSORT:Swayne, William Marshall Sculptors from Pennsylvania People from Kennett Square, Pennsylvania Writers from Pennsylvania 1828 births 1918 deaths 20th-century American sculptors 20th-century American male artists 19th-century American sculptors 19th-century American male artists American male sculptors

Biography

Artistic career

Bust of Lincoln

Further reading

References

External links