Thomas James Swiney was an Australian politician. He was a member of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly

New South Wales Legislative Assembly

The Legislative Assembly, or lower house, is one of the two chambers of the Parliament of New South Wales, an Australian state. The other chamber is the Legislative Council. Both the Assembly and Council sit at Parliament House in the state capital, Sydney...

 for one term from 1920 until 1922. He was a member of the Australian Labor Party

Australian Labor Party

The Australian Labor Party is an Australian political party. It has been the governing party of the Commonwealth of Australia since the 2007 federal election. Julia Gillard is the party's federal parliamentary leader and Prime Minister of Australia...

 (ALP) .

Swiney was born in Balranald, New South Wales

Balranald, New South Wales

Balranald is a town and local government area in the Riverina district of New South Wales, Australia. At the 2006 census the population was 1,216....

 and worked as a farmer. At the 1920 election, he was the first candidate on the ALP list and won the third and last position in the multi-member seat of Byron

Electoral district of Byron

Byron was an electoral district of the Legislative Assembly in the Australian state of New South Wales created in 1913, replacing Rous, and named after Cape Byron. With the introduction of proportional representation in 1920, Byron absorbed Lismore and Clarence and elected three members...

. Swiney was defeated at the 1922 election by 223 votes. He later held positions with the Aboriginal Protection Board

Aboriginal Protection Board

There was an Aboriginal Protection Board in a number of Australian States with the function of "protecting" and regulating the lives of Indigenous Australians. They were also responsible for administering the various Half-caste acts where these existed and had a key role in the Stolen generations...

. He did not hold ministerial or party office.