Representative Thomas Van Swearingen

Thomas Van Swearingen served as a Representative from Virginia in the United States Congress from 1819 to 1823. A member of the Federalist Party, he voted with the shrinking Federalist minority on infrastructure and revenue questions and was among the final Federalists to hold a House seat. During the 17th Congress he backed the Potomac River canal improvements, reflecting his district’s reliance on river trade.

He entered Congress after the War of 1812 when Virginians were grappling with debt from state militia mobilization. Van Swearingen aligned with colleagues from the Shenandoah Valley in opposing higher direct taxes that would burden small planters. His two-term record is sparse compared to later legislators, but contemporary committee journals list his support for post-road expansions linking Shepherdstown to the National Road—an early example of federal investment that prefigured later internal-improvement debates.