Representative John Swanwick

John Swanwick (1760 – August 1, 1798) was an American merchant, poet, and politician who served in the Pennsylvania General Assembly and, from 1795 to 1798, as a United States Representative from Pennsylvania in the 4th and 5th Congresses. A prominent figure in Philadelphia’s commercial and political life during the early national period, he participated in the legislative process as a member of the Republican, or Democratic-Republican, Party, representing the interests of his constituents during a formative era in the history of the United States.

Swanwick was born in 1760 in Liverpool, England. Around 1770 his family emigrated to the American colonies, settling in Caln Township in Chester County, Pennsylvania. His father, Richard Swanwick, was appointed commander of a revenue cutter on the Delaware River, responsible for enforcing customs regulations. The family’s move placed John Swanwick at the center of the commercial and political currents that would shape the American Revolution and the early republic, and his father’s royal appointment would later complicate perceptions of the younger Swanwick’s loyalties.

In 1774, Swanwick entered the service of the prominent Philadelphia financier Robert Morris as an apprentice, beginning a long association with one of the most influential commercial and financial figures of the Revolutionary era. By 1781, he had advanced sufficiently in Morris’s confidence to be appointed Receiver of Continental Taxes for Pennsylvania, a position that involved the difficult task of collecting revenues to support the Continental Congress and the war effort. His diligence and ability in business eventually earned him a junior partnership in the mercantile firm of Willing, Morris & Swanwick, where he managed a substantial portion of the firm’s trading operations. When the Bank of North America was established, Swanwick joined Morris and Thomas Willing in investing in its shares, with Willing serving as president of the bank while Swanwick continued to oversee much of the firm’s merchant business.

Despite the trust placed in him within the firm, Swanwick’s public reputation during and after the American Revolution was clouded by suspicion arising from his family background. His father, Richard Swanwick, was a staunch Loyalist who fled to British-held New York after the British evacuation of Philadelphia and did not return until 1783. In 1778, John Swanwick was accused of forwarding secrets to the British through his exiled father. An investigation ultimately cleared him of wrongdoing, and he demonstrated his commitment to the American cause by joining the second militia of the Sixth Battalion. Nonetheless, even after the Revolution, he continued to face accusations of British sympathies and wavering loyalty to the United States, charges that he had to contend with as he built his commercial and political career.

Initially, Swanwick was not deeply involved in formal politics, though he supported the Federalist Party and backed the election of George Washington as the first President of the United States. Over time, however, his political allegiance shifted toward the emerging Democratic-Republican Party. He grew increasingly critical of the trade and financial policies advanced by Alexander Hamilton and the Washington administration, particularly those he believed favored British commercial interests. Hamilton’s establishment of the First Bank of the United States was especially troubling to Swanwick, as he regarded the national bank as a direct threat to his own investment in the Bank of North America and as a symbol of Federalist financial centralization that he opposed.

Swanwick entered elective office in 1792, when he was elected to the Pennsylvania General Assembly on a ticket that opposed Federalist policies. His election was closely watched, as Federalists had hoped to secure influence in the state legislature to ensure the selection of one of their own to fill William Maclay’s seat in the United States Senate. In the Assembly, Swanwick quickly assumed a position of influence as chair of the Ways and Means Committee, which enhanced his role in shaping fiscal and economic policy. He supported the establishment of a state hospital, advocated public support for schools, and favored the abolition of debtors’ prisons, reflecting a reform-minded approach to social and economic issues. After a dispute with the Bank of North America, he became a leading proponent of re-establishing the Bank of Pennsylvania, and he later supported the creation of the Insurance Company of North America, an institution that endures into the modern era as part of Chubb Limited.

In 1794, Swanwick sought national office and ran for the United States House of Representatives as a Democratic-Republican against the incumbent Federalist Thomas Fitzsimons. As a merchant, Swanwick opposed the Federalist program of excise taxes, which he believed burdened commerce and ordinary citizens. During the Whiskey Rebellion, however, he broke with more radical elements of his party by supporting the raising of a militia to suppress the insurrection. He regarded the rebellion as undemocratic and a threat to the rule of law, even while maintaining his opposition to the excise tax itself. This nuanced stance, combined with his personal financial resources and the growing unpopularity of Fitzsimons, contributed to Swanwick’s narrow victory by a margin of 58 votes. He took his seat as a member of the Republican Party representing Pennsylvania in the 4th Congress, and he was reelected to the 5th Congress, serving in the national legislature from 1795 until his death in 1798.

During his congressional service, Swanwick emerged as a vocal critic of Federalist foreign policy. He strongly opposed the Jay Treaty with Great Britain, viewing it as overly conciliatory and detrimental to American commercial and political independence. He worked actively to persuade President Washington not to sign the treaty and helped organize public demonstrations in Philadelphia against its ratification. In the House of Representatives, he supported an effort to refuse appropriations needed to implement the treaty; the motion failed by a single vote, 50–49, with Speaker Frederick Muhlenberg casting the deciding vote in favor of funding. On questions of national defense, however, Swanwick diverged from many of his Republican colleagues. He broke with the party line by supporting the construction of frigates authorized by the Naval Act of 1794, arguing that the United States should possess its own navy and build warships domestically rather than rely on foreign purchases. In the 1796 election, he defeated Federalist candidate Edward Tilghman by 70 votes, securing a second term and continuing his role in the 5th Congress during a period marked by intense partisan conflict and the early stages of the Quasi-War with France.

While serving in Congress, Swanwick’s personal financial situation deteriorated. Beginning in 1796, Philadelphia experienced a series of economic downturns, with recessions in 1796 and 1797 that led to the collapse of several trading houses. Swanwick’s mercantile interests suffered heavily, and he sought assistance from former associates, including his onetime partner Thomas Willing. Willing declined to grant meaningful relief, offering only loans at high rates of interest. Under mounting pressure from creditors, Swanwick assigned much of his property to trustees in September 1797 to help settle his debts. In January 1798, his personal library was auctioned to satisfy outstanding obligations, a poignant indication of the severity of his financial distress even as he continued to serve in Congress.

In addition to his commercial and political pursuits, Swanwick was active in the literary and social life of Philadelphia. He wrote poetry that he published and sometimes presented at society gatherings, contributing to the city’s vibrant cultural milieu in the post-Revolutionary era. In the final year of his life, he compiled his writings into a volume titled Poems on Several Occasions at his home, reflecting both his intellectual interests and his desire to leave a literary legacy. During the yellow fever epidemic that struck Philadelphia in 1798, Swanwick spent much of his time at home in an effort to avoid infection, but he ultimately contracted the disease. He died in office on August 1, 1798, in Philadelphia, and was interred at St. Peter’s Church. His death placed him among the early members of the United States Congress who died while still serving, marking the close of a career that spanned commerce, letters, and public service in the formative years of the American republic.