Thomas Swann
Encyclopedia
Thomas Swann was an American politician
. Initially a Know-Nothing, and later a Democrat, he served as mayor of Baltimore (1856–1860), as the 33rd Governor of Maryland
(1866–1869), and as U.S. Representative
from Maryland's 3rd congressional district
and then 4th congressional district
(1869–1879).
, and attended Columbian College (now George Washington University
) in Washington, D.C.
, and the University of Virginia
at Charlottesville
. He studied law, and was appointed by President Andrew Jackson
as secretary of the United States Commission to Naples
. He moved to Baltimore, Maryland in 1834, and became director and president of the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad, serving in that position from 1847 until his resignation in 1853, to serve as president of the Northwestern Virginia Railroad.
(American Party) in one of the bloodiest elections in state history. He defeated Democratic challenger Robert Clinton Wright by over a thousand votes.
During the mid-1850s public order in Baltimore had been threatened by the election of candidates of the Know Nothing
party. In October 1856 the Know Nothing Mayor Samuel Hinks
was pressed by Baltimorians to order the state militia in readiness to maintain order during the mayoral elections, as violence was anticipated. Hinks duly gave Militia general George H. Steuart the order, but he soon rescinded it. As a result, violence broke out on polling day, with shots exchanged by competing mobs. In the 2nd and 8th wards several citizens were killed, and many wounded. In the 6th ward artillery was used, and a pitched battle fought on Orleans St between Know Nothings and rival Democrats
, raging for several hours. The result of the election, in which voter fraud was widespread, was a victory for Swann by around 9,000 votes.
in readiness. However, Mayor Swann, this time running for re-election, successfully argued for a compromise measure involving special police forces to prevent disorder, and Steuart's militia were stood down. This time, although there was less violence than in 1856, the results of the vote were again compromised, and the Know-Nothings took many state offices in a heavily disputed ballot.
There were a great deal of internal improvements
during Swann's tenure as mayor. The Baltimore volunteer firefighters were replaced with paid firefighters, and were given steam-powered fire engines and a better emergency telegraph system. His office also oversaw the creation of the streetcar system in Baltimore, the creation of Druid Hill Park
, and the beginnings of two water-sewage construction projects at Jones Falls and at the Lake Roland Reservoir. The Baltimore Inner Harbor was dredged at 20 feet during his term as governor, and several new schools were added to the city. The Police and Water departments were also reorganized, and, to provide better street lighting, the offices of Superindendents of Lamps was created.
Violence was prevalent during Swann's term as mayor. Governor Thomas W. Ligon sought Swann's assistance to try to avoid riots during the 1856 Presidential elections
, but little was resolved during the meeting, and riots ensued during the night of the election wounding and killing many. Ligon criticized Swann for not taking the necessary precautions, recalling the event as partisans "engaged; arms of all kinds were employed; and bloodshed, wounds, and death, stained the record of the day, and added another page of dishonor to the annals of the distracted city". Ligon did not cooperate with Swann during the state elections of 1857, and immediately imposed martial law
upon Baltimore before election day had begun. Swann was angered, and insisted this was not necessary, but, recalling the events one year earlier, Ligon refused to lift the martial law status.
, since the party had dissolved. In 1864, he was unanimously nominated to be Governor during the nomination convention, and won election with lieutenant-governor running mate Christopher C. Cox
by over 9,000 votes. He took the oath of office
on January 11, 1865, but did not become Governor de facto until one year later. In his inaugural address, he encouraged union in the state following the American Civil War
, and voiced his opposition to slavery, deeming it a "a stumbling block in the way of [our] advancement".
Swann met opposition as Governor with the Radical Republicans of Maryland, since he supported the reconstruction policies of Andrew Johnson
, and refused to follow with other policies of theirs. He eventually completely parted with the Republicans by joining the Democratic party during his term as Governor, mostly due to the much disliked loyalty oath
and registration laws the Radical Republicans pushed for citizens of the state.
In 1867, the Maryland General Assembly
nominated Swann to succeed John A. J. Creswell
in the United States Senate
. However, due to partisan fears that the lieutenant governor would undermine reforms made by Swann with voting rights, Swann was convinced by Democrats to remain as Governor and turn down the senate seat. Furthermore, rumors has spread that the Senate would not confirm Swann's credentials as a U.S. Senator, due to his liberal treatment of friends in the rebelling states.
Internal improvements to state infrastructure were important to Swann, and he is credited with greatly improving the facilities at the Baltimore Harbor. He also encouraged immigration, and the immediate emancipation of the slaves following the War.
to the United States Senate in 1866, but did not serve, preferring to continue as Governor. He was again elected to Congress, this time as a Democrat, and served from March 4, 1869 until March 3, 1879 in the Forty-first and to the four succeeding Congresses. In Congress, Swann was chairman of the Committee on Foreign Affairs (Forty-fourth and Forty-fifth Congresses). In 1878, he married Josephine Ward Thomson, daughter of Congressman Aaron Ward
and widow of U.S. Senator John Renshaw Thomson
.
Swann died on his estate, Morven Park
, near Leesburg, Virginia
, and is interred in Greenmount Cemetery
of Baltimore. In eulogy, the Baltimore Sun criticized his early political errors, but nevertheless credited him as "a great mayor, conferring inestimable benefits on the city he governed; not only was he a wise and beneficient governor to the oppressed portion of the citizens of the State, but he was one of the most useful and influential Congressmen this State or city ever had."
Politics of the United States
The United States is a federal constitutional republic, in which the President of the United States , Congress, and judiciary share powers reserved to the national government, and the federal government shares sovereignty with the state governments.The executive branch is headed by the President...
. Initially a Know-Nothing, and later a Democrat, he served as mayor of Baltimore (1856–1860), as the 33rd Governor of Maryland
Governor of Maryland
The Governor of Maryland heads the executive branch of the government of Maryland, and he is the commander-in-chief of the state's National Guard units. The Governor is the highest-ranking official in the state, and he has a broad range of appointive powers in both the State and local governments,...
(1866–1869), and as U.S. Representative
United States House of Representatives
The United States House of Representatives is one of the two Houses of the United States Congress, the bicameral legislature which also includes the Senate.The composition and powers of the House are established in Article One of the Constitution...
from Maryland's 3rd congressional district
Maryland's 3rd congressional district
Maryland's 3rd congressional district is a congressional district from the state of Maryland. It comprises portions of Baltimore, Howard and Anne Arundel counties, as well as a significant part of the independent city of Baltimore...
and then 4th congressional district
Maryland's 4th congressional district
Maryland's 4th congressional district comprises portions of Prince George's and Montgomery County. The seat is currently represented by Donna Edwards, a Democrat, who has represented the district since 2008....
(1869–1879).
Early life and career
Swann was born in Alexandria, VirginiaAlexandria, Virginia
Alexandria is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia. As of 2009, the city had a total population of 139,966. Located along the Western bank of the Potomac River, Alexandria is approximately six miles south of downtown Washington, D.C.Like the rest of northern Virginia, as well as...
, and attended Columbian College (now George Washington University
George Washington University
The George Washington University is a private, coeducational comprehensive university located in Washington, D.C. in the United States...
) in Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
, and the University of Virginia
University of Virginia
The University of Virginia is a public research university located in Charlottesville, Virginia, United States, founded by Thomas Jefferson...
at Charlottesville
Charlottesville, Virginia
Charlottesville is an independent city geographically surrounded by but separate from Albemarle County in the Commonwealth of Virginia, United States, and named after Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz, the queen consort of King George III of the United Kingdom.The official population estimate for...
. He studied law, and was appointed by President Andrew Jackson
Andrew Jackson
Andrew Jackson was the seventh President of the United States . Based in frontier Tennessee, Jackson was a politician and army general who defeated the Creek Indians at the Battle of Horseshoe Bend , and the British at the Battle of New Orleans...
as secretary of the United States Commission to Naples
Naples
Naples is a city in Southern Italy, situated on the country's west coast by the Gulf of Naples. Lying between two notable volcanic regions, Mount Vesuvius and the Phlegraean Fields, it is the capital of the region of Campania and of the province of Naples...
. He moved to Baltimore, Maryland in 1834, and became director and president of the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad, serving in that position from 1847 until his resignation in 1853, to serve as president of the Northwestern Virginia Railroad.
1856 election
Swann was first elected Mayor of Baltimore in 1856 as a member of the Know NothingKnow Nothing
The Know Nothing was a movement by the nativist American political faction of the 1840s and 1850s. It was empowered by popular fears that the country was being overwhelmed by German and Irish Catholic immigrants, who were often regarded as hostile to Anglo-Saxon Protestant values and controlled by...
(American Party) in one of the bloodiest elections in state history. He defeated Democratic challenger Robert Clinton Wright by over a thousand votes.
During the mid-1850s public order in Baltimore had been threatened by the election of candidates of the Know Nothing
Know Nothing
The Know Nothing was a movement by the nativist American political faction of the 1840s and 1850s. It was empowered by popular fears that the country was being overwhelmed by German and Irish Catholic immigrants, who were often regarded as hostile to Anglo-Saxon Protestant values and controlled by...
party. In October 1856 the Know Nothing Mayor Samuel Hinks
Samuel Hinks
Samuel Hinks was Mayor of Baltimore, Maryland, from 1854 to 1856. He was a member of the Know-Nothing party. He was succeeded in 1856 by fellow Know-Nothing Thomas Swann.-Baltimore mayoral election of 1856:...
was pressed by Baltimorians to order the state militia in readiness to maintain order during the mayoral elections, as violence was anticipated. Hinks duly gave Militia general George H. Steuart the order, but he soon rescinded it. As a result, violence broke out on polling day, with shots exchanged by competing mobs. In the 2nd and 8th wards several citizens were killed, and many wounded. In the 6th ward artillery was used, and a pitched battle fought on Orleans St between Know Nothings and rival Democrats
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
, raging for several hours. The result of the election, in which voter fraud was widespread, was a victory for Swann by around 9,000 votes.
1857 election
In 1857, fearing similar violence at the upcoming elections, Governor Thomas W. Ligon ordered General Steuart to hold the First Light Division, Maryland VolunteersFirst Light Division, Maryland Volunteers
The First Light Division of Maryland Volunteers was a militia unit based in Baltimore and formed in around 1841. Its commander was the militia general George H. Steuart. Elements of the division participated in the suppression of John Brown's raid on Harper's Ferry in 1859, but its members found...
in readiness. However, Mayor Swann, this time running for re-election, successfully argued for a compromise measure involving special police forces to prevent disorder, and Steuart's militia were stood down. This time, although there was less violence than in 1856, the results of the vote were again compromised, and the Know-Nothings took many state offices in a heavily disputed ballot.
1858 election
He was re-elected in 1858, again with widespread violence prevalent, and won by over 19,000 votes due to a large amount of voter intimidation.There were a great deal of internal improvements
Internal improvements
Internal improvements is the term used historically in the United States for public works from the end of the American Revolution through much of the 19th century, mainly for the creation of a transportation infrastructure: roads, turnpikes, canals, harbors and navigation improvements...
during Swann's tenure as mayor. The Baltimore volunteer firefighters were replaced with paid firefighters, and were given steam-powered fire engines and a better emergency telegraph system. His office also oversaw the creation of the streetcar system in Baltimore, the creation of Druid Hill Park
Druid Hill Park
Druid Hill Park is a urban park in northwest Baltimore, Maryland. Its boundaries are marked by Druid Park Drive , Swann Drive and Reisterstown Road , and the Jones Falls Expressway...
, and the beginnings of two water-sewage construction projects at Jones Falls and at the Lake Roland Reservoir. The Baltimore Inner Harbor was dredged at 20 feet during his term as governor, and several new schools were added to the city. The Police and Water departments were also reorganized, and, to provide better street lighting, the offices of Superindendents of Lamps was created.
Violence was prevalent during Swann's term as mayor. Governor Thomas W. Ligon sought Swann's assistance to try to avoid riots during the 1856 Presidential elections
Know-Nothing Riot of 1856
The Know-Nothing Riot of 1856, some of the worst rioting of the Know-Nothing era in the United States, occurred in Baltimore in the fall of 1856. Street tensions had escalated sharply over the preceding half-dozen years as neighborhood gangs, most of them operating out of local firehouses, became...
, but little was resolved during the meeting, and riots ensued during the night of the election wounding and killing many. Ligon criticized Swann for not taking the necessary precautions, recalling the event as partisans "engaged; arms of all kinds were employed; and bloodshed, wounds, and death, stained the record of the day, and added another page of dishonor to the annals of the distracted city". Ligon did not cooperate with Swann during the state elections of 1857, and immediately imposed martial law
Martial law
Martial law is the imposition of military rule by military authorities over designated regions on an emergency basis— only temporary—when the civilian government or civilian authorities fail to function effectively , when there are extensive riots and protests, or when the disobedience of the law...
upon Baltimore before election day had begun. Swann was angered, and insisted this was not necessary, but, recalling the events one year earlier, Ligon refused to lift the martial law status.
Governor of Maryland
In 1860, Swann left the American Party and joined the Union PartyNational Union Party (United States)
The National Union Party was the name used by the Republican Party for the national ticket in the 1864 presidential election, held during the Civil War. State Republican parties did not usually change their name....
, since the party had dissolved. In 1864, he was unanimously nominated to be Governor during the nomination convention, and won election with lieutenant-governor running mate Christopher C. Cox
Christopher C. Cox
Christopher C. Cox was a United States politician from Maryland.Born in Baltimore, Cox was a member of the National Union Party, a coalition of Democrats loyal to the Union and Republicans during the Civil War....
by over 9,000 votes. He took the oath of office
Oath of office
An oath of office is an oath or affirmation a person takes before undertaking the duties of an office, usually a position in government or within a religious body, although such oaths are sometimes required of officers of other organizations...
on January 11, 1865, but did not become Governor de facto until one year later. In his inaugural address, he encouraged union in the state following the American Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
, and voiced his opposition to slavery, deeming it a "a stumbling block in the way of [our] advancement".
Swann met opposition as Governor with the Radical Republicans of Maryland, since he supported the reconstruction policies of Andrew Johnson
Andrew Johnson
Andrew Johnson was the 17th President of the United States . As Vice-President of the United States in 1865, he succeeded Abraham Lincoln following the latter's assassination. Johnson then presided over the initial and contentious Reconstruction era of the United States following the American...
, and refused to follow with other policies of theirs. He eventually completely parted with the Republicans by joining the Democratic party during his term as Governor, mostly due to the much disliked loyalty oath
Ironclad oath
The Ironclad Oath was a key factor in the removing of ex-Confederates from the political arena during the Reconstruction of the United States in the 1860s...
and registration laws the Radical Republicans pushed for citizens of the state.
Maryland General Assembly
The Maryland General Assembly is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Maryland. It is a bicameral body. The upper chamber, the Maryland State Senate, has 47 representatives and the lower chamber, the Maryland House of Delegates, has 141 representatives...
nominated Swann to succeed John A. J. Creswell
John A. J. Creswell
John Angel James Creswell was an American politician from Maryland. He served as Postmaster General of the United States during the Grant administration.- Biography :...
in the United States Senate
United States Senate
The United States Senate is the upper house of the bicameral legislature of the United States, and together with the United States House of Representatives comprises the United States Congress. The composition and powers of the Senate are established in Article One of the U.S. Constitution. Each...
. However, due to partisan fears that the lieutenant governor would undermine reforms made by Swann with voting rights, Swann was convinced by Democrats to remain as Governor and turn down the senate seat. Furthermore, rumors has spread that the Senate would not confirm Swann's credentials as a U.S. Senator, due to his liberal treatment of friends in the rebelling states.
Internal improvements to state infrastructure were important to Swann, and he is credited with greatly improving the facilities at the Baltimore Harbor. He also encouraged immigration, and the immediate emancipation of the slaves following the War.
U.S. Congressional career and final years
He was elected as a DemocratDemocratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
to the United States Senate in 1866, but did not serve, preferring to continue as Governor. He was again elected to Congress, this time as a Democrat, and served from March 4, 1869 until March 3, 1879 in the Forty-first and to the four succeeding Congresses. In Congress, Swann was chairman of the Committee on Foreign Affairs (Forty-fourth and Forty-fifth Congresses). In 1878, he married Josephine Ward Thomson, daughter of Congressman Aaron Ward
Aaron Ward (representative)
Aaron Ward was an American lawyer and politician from New York.-Life:...
and widow of U.S. Senator John Renshaw Thomson
John Renshaw Thomson
John Renshaw Thomson was an American merchant and politician from New Jersey.-Life:Born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, he attended the common schools in Princeton, New Jersey, and the College of New Jersey . In 1817, he went to China and became a merchant in Canton where he was United States...
.
Swann died on his estate, Morven Park
Morven Park
Morven Park is an estate in Leesburg, Virginia, USA, that includes the Westmoreland Davis Mansion and the Winmill Carriage Museum. The gardens are open to the public at no charge. The park is also home to the Museum of Hounds and Hunting, with displays of art, artifacts and memorabilia about the...
, near Leesburg, Virginia
Leesburg, Virginia
Leesburg is a historic town in, and county seat of, Loudoun County, Virginia, United States of America. Leesburg is located west-northwest of Washington, D.C. along the base of the Catoctin Mountain and adjacent to the Potomac River. Its population according the 2010 Census is 42,616...
, and is interred in Greenmount Cemetery
Greenmount Cemetery
Green Mount Cemetery is a historic cemetery in Baltimore, Maryland, United States. Established on March 15, 1838, and dedicated on July 13, 1839, it is noted for the large number of historical figures interred in its grounds as well as a large number of prominent Baltimore-area families...
of Baltimore. In eulogy, the Baltimore Sun criticized his early political errors, but nevertheless credited him as "a great mayor, conferring inestimable benefits on the city he governed; not only was he a wise and beneficient governor to the oppressed portion of the citizens of the State, but he was one of the most useful and influential Congressmen this State or city ever had."
Further reading
- Jean H. Baker, Ambivalent Americans: The Know-Nothing Party in Maryland (1977). Describes Swann's career in the American Party in the 1850s.
- Tracy Matthew Melton, Hanging Henry Gambrill: The Violent Career of Baltimore's Plug Uglies from 1854 to 1860 (2005). Details the relationship between American Party politicians and the rowdy clubs affiliated with them in Baltimore during Swann's tenure as mayor. It includes a great deal of information on Swann and his accomplishments in office.