Thomas Swann

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Thomas Swann, circa 1860-1875.

Thomas Swann (February 3, 1809 – July 24, 1883), a member of the United States Democratic Party, was the 33^rd Governor of Maryland in the United States from 1866 to 1869. He also served as the Mayor of Baltimore, Maryland from 1856-1860, and served the third and fourth districts of Maryland in the House of Representatives.

1 Early life and career
2 Mayor of Baltimore
3 Governor of Maryland
4 U.S. Congressional career and final years
5 References
6 Further reading

[edit] Early life and career

Swann was born in Alexandria, Virginia and attended Columbian College (now The George Washington University) in Washington, D.C., and the University of Virginia at Charlottesville. He studied law, and was appointed by President Andrew Jackson as secretary of the United States Commission to Naples. He moved to Baltimore, Maryland in 1834, and became director and president of the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad, serving in that position from 1847 until his resignation in 1853, to serve as president of the Northwestern Virginia Railroad.

[edit] Mayor of Baltimore

Swann was elected Mayor of Baltimore as a member of the American, or Know-Nothing Party in one of the bloodiest elections in state history. He defeated Democratic challenger Robert Clinton Wright by over one thousand votes. He was re-elected in 1858, again with widespread violence prevalent, and won by over 19,000 votes due to a large amount of voter intimidation.

There were a great deal of internal improvements during Swann's tenure as mayor. The Baltimore volunteer firefighters were replaced with paid firefighters, and were given steam-powered fire engines and a better emergency telegraph system. His office also oversaw the creation of the streetcar system in Baltimore, the creation of Druid Hill Park, and the beginnings of two water-sewage construction projects at Jones Falls and at the Lake Roland Reservoir. The Baltimore Inner Harbor was dredged at 20 feet during his term as governor, and several new schools were added to the city. The Police and Water departments were also reorganized, and, to provide better street lighting, the offices of Superindendents of Lamps was created.

Violence was prevalent during Swann's term as mayor. Governor Thomas W. Ligon sought Swann's assistance to try to avoid riots during the Presidential elections in 1856, but little was resolved during the meeting, and riots ensued during the night of the election wounding and killing many. Ligon criticized Swann for not taking the necessary precautions, recalling the event as partisans "engaged; arms of all kinds were employed; and bloodshed, wounds, and death, stained the record of the day, and added another page of dishonor to the annals of the distracted city". Ligon did not cooperate with Swann during the state elections of 1857, and immediately imposed martial law upon Baltimore before election day had begun. Swann was angered, and insisted this was not necessary, but, recalling the events one year earlier, Ligon refused to lift the martial law status.

[edit] Governor of Maryland

In 1860, Swann left the American Party and joined the Union Party, since the party had dissolved. In 1864, he was unanimously nominated to be Governor during the nomination convention, and won election with lieutenant-governor running mate Christopher C. Cox by over 9,000 votes. He took the oath of office on January 11, 1865, but did not become Governor de facto until one year later. In his inaugural address, he encouraged union in the state following the American Civil War, and voiced his opposition to slavery, deeming it a "a stumbling block in the way of [our] advancement".

Swann met opposition as Governor with the Radical Republicans of Maryland, since he supported the reconstruction policies of Andrew Johnson, and refused to follow with other policies of theirs. He eventually completely parted with the Republicans by joining the Democratic party during his term as Governor, mostly due to the much disliked loyalty oath and registration laws the radical republicans pushed for citizens of the state.

A later portrait of Swann, circa 1865-1880

In 1867, the Maryland General Assembly nominated Swann to succeed John A. J. Creswell in the United States Senate. However, due to partisan fears that the lieutenant governor would undermine reforms made by Swann with voting rights, Swann was convinced by Democrats to remain as Governor and turn down the senate seat. Furthermore, rumors has spread that the Senate would not confirm Swann's credentials as a U.S. Senator, due to his liberal treatment of friends in the rebelling states.

Internal improvements to state infrastructure were important to Swann, and he is credited with greatly improving the facilities at the Baltimore Harbor. He also encouraged immigration, and the immediate emancipation of the slaves following the War.

[edit] U.S. Congressional career and final years

He was elected as a Democrat to the United States Senate in 1866, but did not serve, preferring to continue as Governor. He was again elected to Congress, this time as a Democrat, and served from March 4, 1869 until March 3, 1879 in the Forty-first and to the four succeeding Congresses. In Congress, Swann was chairman of the Committee on Foreign Affairs (Forty-fourth and Forty-fifth Congresses).

Swann died on his estate, Morven Park, near Leesburg, Viginia, and is interred in Greenmount Cemetery of Baltimore. In eulogy, the Baltimore Sun criticized his early political errors, but nevertheless credited him as "a great mayor, conferring inestimable benefits on the city he governed; not only was he a wise and beneficient governor to the oppressed portion of the citizens of the State, but he was one of the most useful and influential Congressmen this State or city ever had."

[edit] References

Frank F. White, Jr., The Governors of Maryland 1777-1970 (Annapolis: The Hall of Records Commission), 165-170.
Wilbur F. Coyle, The Mayors of Baltimore (The Baltimore Municipal Journal, 1919), 93-98.
This article incorporates facts obtained from the public domain Biographical Directory of the United States Congress.

[edit] Further reading

Jean H. Baker, Ambivalent Americans: The Know-Nothing Party in Maryland (1977). Describes Swann's career in the American Party in the 1850s.
Tracy Matthew Melton, Hanging Henry Gambrill: The Violent Career of Baltimore's Plug Uglies, 1854-1860 (2005). Details the relationship between American Party politicians and the rowdy clubs affiliated with them in Baltimore during Swann's tenure as mayor. It includes a great deal of information on Swann and his accomplishments in office.

Preceded by Samuel Hinks	Mayor of Baltimore 1856–1860	Succeeded by George William Brown
Preceded by Augustus Bradford	Governor of Maryland 1866–1869	Succeeded by Oden Bowie
Preceded by Charles E. Phelps	U.S. Congressman, Maryland's 3^rd District 1869—1873	Succeeded by William J. O'Brien
Preceded by John Ritchie	U.S. Congressman, Maryland's 4^th District 1873—1879	Succeeded by Robert Milligan McLane