Senator Claude Augustus Swanson

Claude Augustus Swanson served as a Senator from Virginia in the United States Congress from 1893 to 1933. A member of the Democratic Party, Claude Augustus Swanson contributed to the legislative process during 12 terms in office.

Claude Augustus Swanson’s service in Congress occurred during a significant period in American history. As a member of the Senate, Claude Augustus Swanson participated in the democratic process and represented the interests of constituents.

Claude Augustus Swanson (March 31, 1862 – July 7, 1939) was an American lawyer and Democratic politician from Virginia. He served as U.S. Representative (1893–1906), Governor of Virginia (1906–1910), and U.S. Senator from Virginia (1910–1933), before becoming U.S. Secretary of the Navy under President Franklin D. Roosevelt from 1933 until his death. Swanson and fellow U.S. Senator Thomas Staples Martin led a Democratic political machine in Virginia for decades in the late 19th and early 20th century, which later became known as the Byrd Organization for Swanson’s successor as U.S. Senator, Harry Flood Byrd.