Preceded by Joshua Coit Name Zephaniah Swift | Alma mater Yale College Citizenship USA Succeeded by Uriah Tracy | |
Born February 27, 1759
Wareham, Massachusetts, U.S. ( 1759-02-27 ) Spouse(s) Jerusha Watrous Swift and Lucretia Webb Swift Children Henry Swift, George Swift, Edward Swift, Lucretia Swift and Emily Swift Occupation Lawyer, Author, Politician, Judge Role Former U.S. Representative Died September 27, 1823, Warren, Ohio, United States Books A System of the Laws of the State of Connecticut: In Six Books /. Education Yale University, Yale College Political party Pro-Administration Party, Federalist Party | ||
Previous office Representative 1793–1797 | ||
Zephaniah Swift (February 27, 1759 – September 27, 1823) was an eighteenth-century American author, judge, lawyer and politician from Windham, Connecticut. He served as a U.S. Representative from Connecticut and State Supreme Court Judge. He wrote the first legal treatise published in America.
Contents
- Zephaniah swift moore top 6 facts
- Early life and education
- Career
- Personal life
- Published works
- References
Zephaniah swift moore top 6 facts
Early life and education
Swift was born in Wareham, Massachusetts to Rowland Swift and Mary (Dexter) Swift. He moved with his parents to Lebanon, Connecticut. He completed preparatory studies and graduated from Yale College in 1778. He studied law, was admitted to the bar and began the practice of law in Windham, Connecticut.
Career
He served in the State's House of Representatives from 1787 to 1793, serving as speaker in 1792, and clerk of the house for four sessions. Swift represented Connecticut in the U.S. House as a Pro-Administration candidate to the Third Congress and as a Federalist candidate to the Fourth Congress. He served in Congress from March 4, 1793 to March 3, 1797.
In 1795, Swift wrote "A System of the Law of the State of Connecticut", the first legal treatise published in America. In 1796, having served on a Congressional committee, he compiled and edited the first official version of "The Laws of the United States of America." The three volume collection was published by authority of Congress and contained an extensive index. For over a hundred years, Swift's work on this publication was wrongly credited to the publisher, Richard Folwell, until historian Clarence E. Carter established that Zephania Swift deserved credit for the project.
After serving in Congress, Swift resumed the practice of law in Windham and engaged in literary pursuits. He wrote "A Digest of the Laws of the State of Connecticut" which was published in 1820. He was a member of the Connecticut council of assistants in 1799 and 1801.
Swift served as secretary of the French mission in 1800. He was judge of the Connecticut Supreme Court beginning in 1801 and served as the Chief Justice from 1806 to 1819. Swift was a member of the Hartford Convention from 1814 to 1815, and was an advocate of secession in opposition to the War of 1812. When the Connecticut Constitution was adopted in 1818, he lost favor with his colleagues due to his support of secession and lost his position in the Supreme Court.
In 1815 Swift received an honorary degree of Doctor of Laws from Yale College. Swift again served as a member of the State's House of Representatives, serving from 1820 to 1822.
Personal life
Swift married Jerusha Watrous Swift (1763–1792) and they had one son together, Henry Swift. Swift later married Lucretia Webb Swift (1775–1843) on March 14, 1795. They had four children together, George Swift, Edward Swift, Lucretia Swift and Emily Swift.
Zephaniah Swift died on September 27, 1823 while visiting his children in Warren, Ohio. He is interred in Oakwood Cemetery in Warren.