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 | (1823-03-23)March 23, 1823 Ravenna, Ohio, U.S. |
| Died | February 25, 1869(1869-02-25) (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 Americanpolitician who was thethird Governor of Minnesota. He served as governor from July 10, 1863 to January 11, 1864 after serving as thethird Lieutenant Governor of Minnesota when GovernorAlexander Ramsey resigned to enter theUnited States Congress. Prior to that he had served in theMinnesota Senate. Swift was aRepublican.
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 ofAlexander Ramsey, who had been electedUnited States Senator. With little time or apparent inclination to effect major change, this un-elected governor concentrated on assuring the welfare ofCivil War veterans.
After graduation with honors fromWestern Reserve College in his nativeOhio, Swift tutored the children of a slave owner inMississippi, an experience that reinforced his commitment toabolitionism. He returned to Ohio, earned a law degree, and began a career in business and government service.
He and his family journeyed toMinnesota in 1853, settling first inSt. Paul thenSt. Peter. With his partners in the St. Peter Land Company, he campaigned, unsuccessfully, to relocate the state capital in their burgeoning Minnesota River town.
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]
| Political offices | ||
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| Preceded by | Lieutenant Governor of Minnesota 1863–1863 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Governor of Minnesota 1863–1864 | Succeeded by |
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| Other | |
