Henry Adoniram Swift
Henry Adoniram Swift | |
|---|---|
 | |
| 3rd Governor of Minnesota | |
| In office July 10, 1863 – January 11, 1864 | |
| Lieutenant | Vacant |
| Preceded by | Alexander Ramsey |
| Succeeded by | Stephen Miller |
| 3rd Lieutenant Governor of Minnesota | |
| In office March 4, 1863 – July 10, 1863 | |
| Governor | Alexander Ramsey |
| Preceded by | Ignatius L. Donnelly |
| Succeeded by | Charles D. Sherwood |
| Personal details | |
| Born | March 23, 1823 Ravenna, Ohio, U.S. |
| Died | February 25, 1869 (aged 45) St. Peter, Minnesota, U.S. |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouse | Ruth Livingston |
| Profession | lawyer, businessperson, abolitionist |
Henry Adoniram Swift (March 23, 1823 – February 25, 1869) was an American
Described by peers as gentle, self-effacing, and ambivalent toward politics, Henry Swift was Minnesota's third governor for less than a year, completing the second term of
After graduation with honors from Western Reserve College in his native Ohio, Swift tutored the children of a slave owner in Mississippi, an experience that reinforced his commitment to abolition. He returned to Ohio, earned a law degree, and began a career in business and government service.
He and his family journeyed to
Swift left his commercial enterprises in 1861 for the state senate seat that propelled him into the governorship. Later he served two more terms in the senate and was a reluctant candidate for the U.S. Senate. "I shall be ten times happier with my family in St. Peter than as Senator at Washington," he declared characteristically upon learning he had lost the Republican senatorial nomination in 1865. Four years later, he succumbed to typhoid fever at age 45.
Swift County, Minnesota was named after him in 1870.[1]
References
- ^ Upham, Warren (1920). Minnesota Geographic Names: Their Origin and Historic Significance. Minnesota Historical Society. p. 539.
- Biographical information and his gubernatorial records are available for research use at the Minnesota Historical Society.
- Minnesota Legislators Past and Present
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Other | |
