James Swan (1754 – July 31, 1830) was an early American patriot and financier. Born in Fifeshire, Scotland, he moved at a young age to Boston, Massachusetts. In the 1770s and 1780s he worked as a clerk, and became increasingly involved in the political, military and economic life of the city. Business took him to France in the 1780s, where he spent most of the rest of his life, including long years in debtor's prison. He died in Paris, shortly after release from incarceration.
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Swan emigrated from Scotland to Massachusetts in 1765. In Boston he worked in a counting house and as a shop clerk. He was a member of the Sons of Liberty, participated in the Boston Tea Party,[1][2] and served in the Battle of Bunker Hill in 1775. Friends and associates included Perez Morton and Henry Knox.
In 1776 he married Hepzibah Clarke; they had four children: Hepzibah (Hepsy), born ca. 1777; Christiana (Kitty), born ca.1778; Sarah (Sally), born ca.1782; James Keadie, born ca.1783. Around this time Swan resided in the vicinity of Tremont Street in the former house of Stephen Greenleaf.[4] "On the site of Temple Place a colonial house surrounded by a brick wall and a grove of trees was built in 1684, and here dwelt General James Swan. The house ... staged many a thrilling scene during the struggle for independence. The Swan estate comprised over an acre, extending from St. Paul's Church to and along West Street." (The estate became Washington Gardens after 1815).[5]
He held several posts in the Massachusetts government, ca.1777-1778, including the Massachusetts Board of War and the legislature.[6] He belonged to the Scots Charitable Society of Boston. Swan was active in privateer enterprises during the Revolution. He bonded or owned numerous vessels with his Boston associates such as Mungo Mackay, Elias Parkman, Paul Dudley Sargent, Thomas Adams. [7] In 1786 Swan purchased islands on the Maine coast, including Swan Island.
After various ventures in finance and real estate, and years of living in high style, in 1787 or 1788 the indebted Swan moved to France. En route, he stayed at Mt. Vernon as a guest of George Washington. In France his social circle included Lafayette. Swan was successful in his business activities related to the millions of dollars owed by the United States to France. While in France, Swan acquired furniture, now held in the collection of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston.
Swan returned to the U.S. in 1794 or 1795. He travelled to Philadelphia and while there posed for portraitist Gilbert Stuart; the finished painting is now in the collection of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. Around 1796 he built a summer home in Dorchester, possibly designed by Charles Bulfinch.
He again went to France in 1798. He was imprisoned in Paris for debt in 1808, and released ca.1830. He died in Paris in 1830.[8]