Arthur Swift
| Arthur Swift | |
|---|---|
| Texas House, First Congress | |
|
In office 1846–1847 |
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| Personal details | |
| Born | 1812 Virginia, USA |
| Died | 1855 Seguin, Texas |
| Political party | Democrat |
| Spouse(s) | Margaret Baker, Philadelphia Borden |
| Co-founder of Seguin, Texas | |
Arthur Swift (1812–1855) was a 19th-century Texas merchant, surveyor, political and military figure. He along with Rangers Mathew Caldwell and James Campbell were founders of Seguin, Texas and a member of Callahan's Gonzales-Seguin Rangers and a participant in the Texas–Indian wars. He served as a Texas State Representative for Gonzales-Guadalupe County.
Arthur Swift was born in 1812 in Virginia. He moved to Tennessee as a young man, but walked all the way to Texas, when the real estate market turned sour. In 1837, he ended up in Gonzales, Texas.
In 1838, Swift became one of the founders of Walnut Springs, a new town in Gonzales County, Texas. During this time, he was able to purchase large tracts of land in the area. In Gonzales County, he assisted in legal matters and represented clients and was soon appointed Tax Collector, Constable and Clerk in 1841. He was performing surveys as early as 1838 and later was Gonzales county surveyor from 1840-1844.
In 1841, Swift would serve under James Hughes Callahan, as a Gonzales Ranger during the Texas-Indian wars and again with Benjamin McCulloch's volunteers the same year. His partner James Campbell, had been killed by Indians the previous year.Caldwell would go on serving the city of Gonzales, while Swift, although serving Gonzales, concentrated his efforts in Seguin; purchasing the lands of his partners. In 1842, San Antonio would be overrun twice, by Santa Anna's forces. During March 1842, the citizens of San Antonio would seek refuge at Manuel Flores Ranch in the city of Seguin, Texas. Here, a counterattack was planned and Arthur Swift was a Captain of the party that pursued the army of Ráfael Vásquez. Again in 1842 when Adrian Woll invaded Texas, Arthur Swift would participate at the Battle of the Salado as Second Lieutenant with Mathew Caldwell's resistance forces.
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