- John Swainson
Infobox Governor
name= John B. Swainson
placeofburial=
caption=
order= 42nd
office= Governor of Michigan
term_start=January 1 ,1961
term_end=January 1 ,1963
lieutenant=T. John Lesinski
predecessor=G. Mennen Williams
successor=George W. Romney
birth_date=July 31 ,1925
birth_place=Windsor, Ontario
death_date=May 13 ,1994
death_place=Manchester, Michigan
spouse= Alice Nielsen
party= Democratic
religion=John Burley Swainson (
July 31 ,1925 -May 13 ,1994 ) was apolitician from theU.S. state ofMichigan , as well as the 42ndGovernor of Michigan .Swainson was born in
Windsor, Ontario ,Canada and moved toPort Huron, Michigan at the age of two with his family. His father, John A. C. Swainson, of Port Huron was Democratic Presidential Elector for Michigan in 1964 and an alternatedelegate toDemocratic National Convention from Michigan, 1972 which nominatedGeorge McGovern forU.S. President , who was unsuccessful against PresidentRichard Nixon in the general election [http://politicalgraveyard.com/bio/suvacki-swampfox.html#RR818TQRZ] .Swainson served in the
United States Army duringWorld War II with the 95th Infantry Division and lost both legs in a land mine explosionNovember 15 ,1944 , nearMetz ,Alsace-Lorraine . He was awarded France's "Croix de Guerre ", the Presidential Unit Citation with two battle stars, and thePurple Heart , all before his nineteenth birthday. After months of convalescence and rehabilitation at thePercy Jones Army Hospital in Battle Creek, Swainson learned to walk upright and unassisted.Swainson received a B.A. from
Olivet College , where he also met and married his wife, Alice Nielson. She accompanied him to theUniversity of North Carolina at Chapel Hill , where he received a law degree in 1951. While there, he was elected student president of the law school.Politics
Swainson was elected to the
Michigan State Senate from the 18th District in 1954 and was reelected in 1958. In 1958, whenPhilip Hart was elected to theUnited States Senate , Swainson succeeded Hart asLieutenant Governor of Michigan under GovernorG. Mennen Williams . When the long-serving and popular Williams announced he would not seek reelection in 1960, Swainson decided to enter the race, despite the advice of influential Democratic Party members, including Williams, not to run in deference to three-termMichigan Secretary of State James Hare . Swainson won the primary against the party favorite, largely due to strong support fromlabor union s.On November 8, 1960, Swainson defeated Republican
Paul D. Bagwell , aMichigan State University professor in the general election. As a result, the 35 year-old Swainson became the youngest Governor of Michigan in the 20th century. (The "Boy Governor",Stevens T. Mason , elected at age 24 in 1835, is the youngest.) His Lieutenant Governor wasT. John Lesinski . His primary opponent, James Hare, continued to serve asMichigan Secretary of State until 1971.During his two years in office, a tax was secured on the usage of telegraphs, telephones, and leased wires, court procedures and medical care for the elderly were improved, legislative pensions were excluded from both local and state taxes, and taxes on liquor, beer and cigarettes were raised to fund educational programs.
In 1962, Swainson was defeated by Republican
George W. Romney , the chairman of theAmerican Motors Corporation and who had never before held elected office. The win was attributed in part to Romney's appeal to independent voters, as well as to the increasing influence of suburbanDetroit voters, who by 1962 were more likely to vote Republican than the heavily Democratic city.Post gubernatorial years
On
June 23 ,1963 , Swainson accompanied the ReverendMartin Luther King, Jr. , Detroit mayorJerome Cavanagh , and approximately 125,000 people on a "Walk for Freedom" march down Detroit'sWoodward Avenue . That year he was also a member ofDemocratic National Committee from Michigan.He served as Michigan Circuit Court judge of the 3rd Circuit from 1965 to 1971, and as a Justice of the
Michigan Supreme Court from 1971 to 1975. In 1975 he was accused of accepting a bribe and found not guilty, but was convicted of perjury over his testimony to the grand jury. As a result, he was forced to leave the Supreme Court, sentenced to 60 days in a minimum-security facility, and temporarily lost his license to practice law.He later became an antiques dealer and became president of the
Michigan Historical Commission . In these later years, he often represented the state at the Detroit Highland Games, apologizing for not wearing a kilt because "I don't have the legs for it."Death and legacy
Swainson died of a heart attack in
Manchester, Michigan and is interred there at Oakhill Cemetery. His wife Alice diedSeptember 5 ,2004 in Manchester at the age of 77. During his life he was a member ofAmerican Legion ,AMVETS ,Disabled American Veterans ,Veterans of Foreign Wars , Elks , Lions International, andDelta Theta Phi .The Michigan Historical Commission established the Governor John B. Swainson Award in 1996 to honor him for his love of history and as one of the few public officials to have served in the legislative, executive, and judicial branches of state government. The commission presents the award to state, county or municipal employees who have contributed to the preservation of Michigan history even though such activities are not part of their primary job responsibility. [http://www.michigan.gov/hal/0,1607,7-160-17447_18630_22802-61854--,00.html]
References
* [http://politicalgraveyard.com/bio/suvacki-swampfox.html#RH801VQEP The Political Graveyard]
* [http://www.nndb.com/people/839/000122473/ NNDB]
* [http://www.nga.org/portal/site/nga/menuitem.29fab9fb4add37305ddcbeeb501010a0/?vgnextoid=089c49bc0a733010VgnVCM1000001a01010aRCRD&vgnextchannel=e449a0ca9e3f1010VgnVCM1000001a01010aRCRD National Governors Association]
*findagrave|6234820 Retrieved on2008-02-08
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