Joseph Gardner Swift
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Joseph Gardner Swift (December 31, 1783 – July 23, 1865) was born in Nantucket, Massachusetts. He was the 1st graduate of West Point, according to the Register of Graduates. During the War of 1812 he served as Chief Engineer and superintendent of West Point.
Swift was appointed a cadet by President John Adams and in 1802 became one of the first two graduates of the United States Military Academy at West Point. He constructed Atlantic coast fortifications, 1804-1812, and was 28 years old when appointed Colonel, chief engineer, and superintendent of the military academy in 1812.
As chief engineer of the Northern Army, he distinguished himself at the Battle of Crysler's Farm on November 11, 1813. After completing defensive works in New York City in 1814, Swift was voted "Benefactor to the City" by the city council, who also commissioned John Wesley Jarvis to paint his portrait. He helped to rebuild the burned capital in Washington, DC. He also reorganized the academic staff and planned new buildings at West Point.
He resigned from the Army on November 12, 1818, and was appointed Surveyor of the Port of New York. He held that customs post until 1827. Swift was also one of the founders of the first New York Philharmonic Society in 1823. As Chief Engineer for various railroads in cluding the Harlem Railroad, he laid the first "T" rail. From 1829 to 1845 Swift worked for the United States Army Corps of Engineers as a civilian, improving two harbors on Lake Ontario. He died in Geneva, New York.
[edit] References
- Colonel Joseph Gardner Swift. Portraits and Profiles of Chief Engineers. Retrieved on May 12, 2005.
- USMA Register of Graduates and Former Cadets
| Preceded by Jonathan Williams |
Superintendent of the U.S. Military Academy 1812–1814 |
Succeeded by Alden Partridge |
| Preceded by Jonathan Williams |
Chief of Engineers 1812–1818 |
Succeeded by Walker Keith Armistead |
