Jane Swift | |
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Governor of Massachusetts Acting |
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In office April 10, 2001 – January 2, 2003 |
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Preceded by | Paul Cellucci |
Succeeded by | Mitt Romney |
69th Lieutenant Governor of Massachusetts | |
In office January 7, 1999 – January 2, 2003 |
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Governor | Paul Cellucci |
Preceded by | Paul Cellucci |
Succeeded by | Kerry Healey |
Secretary of Consumer Affairs of Massachusetts | |
In office July 29, 1997 – February 5, 1998 |
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Governor | Paul Cellucci |
Preceded by | Michael T. Duffy |
Succeeded by | Daniel Grabauskas |
Member of the Massachusetts Senate from the Berkshire, Hampden, Hampshire and Franklin district |
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In office January 3, 1991 – January 3, 1997 |
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Preceded by | Peter C. Webber |
Succeeded by | Andrea Nuciforo |
Personal details | |
Born |
Jane Maria Swift February 24, 1965 North Adams, Massachusetts, U.S. |
Political party | Republican |
Spouse(s) | Chuck Hunt |
Alma mater | Trinity College, Connecticut |
Jane Maria Swift (born February 24, 1965) is an American politician and businesswoman who served as the 69th Lieutenant Governor of Massachusetts from 1999 to 2003 and Acting Governor from 2001 to 2003. She is the only woman to perform the duties of governor of Massachusetts, doing so from April 2001 to January 2003. At the time she became acting governor, Swift was 36 years old, making her the youngest female governor or acting governor in U.S. history. Since leaving elected office she has worked in the private sector as a consultant and executive in education technology, as well as serving on corporate and non-profit boards, teaching and lecturing on topics pertaining to women and leadership, and supporting philanthropies that address issues of importance to women and girls. Since 2011, she has been CEO of Middlebury Interactive Languages. In 2013, she and her family moved to Shelburne, Vermont.
Swift grew up in a large extended family in North Adams, Massachusetts. Her maternal grandmother immigrated to the United States from northern Italy after World War I, and her paternal grandfather was a Plymouth, Massachusetts native with roots in Ireland as well as on the Mayflower. She learned politics from her father, who ran the family HVAC business and was active in the Berkshire County Republican Party. Swift's mother, a graduate of North Adams State College, was a teacher in area public and parochial schools. Swift attended North Adams public schools, and in 1987 graduated from Trinity College in Hartford, Connecticut, with a degree in American studies. During her college years, Swift held work-study jobs in the college dining hall and with the Religion Department, played on the women's rugby team, and was a member of Kappa Kappa Gamma sorority.