Claude A. Swanson
| Claude Augustus Swanson | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| 45th United States Secretary of the Navy | |
|
In office March 5, 1933 – July 7, 1939 |
|
| President | Franklin D. Roosevelt |
| Preceded by | Charles F. Adams III |
| Succeeded by | Charles Edison |
|
United States Senator from Virginia |
|
|
In office August 1, 1910 – March 4, 1933 |
|
| Preceded by | John W. Daniel |
| Succeeded by | Harry F. Byrd |
| 45th Governor of Virginia | |
|
In office February 1, 1906 – February 10, 1910 |
|
| Lieutenant | James Taylor Ellyson |
| Preceded by | Andrew J. Montague |
| Succeeded by | William Hodges Mann |
| Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Virginia's 5th district |
|
|
In office March 4, 1893 – January 30, 1906 |
|
| Preceded by | Posey G. Lester |
| Succeeded by | Edward W. Saunders |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
March 31, 1862 Swansonville, Virginia, U.S. |
| Died | July 7, 1939 (aged 77) Rapidan Camp, Virginia, Shenandoah National Park, Virginia, U.S. |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse(s) | Elizabeth Deane Lyons Lulie Lyons Hall |
| Alma mater |
Virginia Agricultural and Mechanical College Randolph-Macon College University of Virginia |
| Profession | Politician, Lawyer, Teacher |
| Religion | Methodist |
Claude Augustus Swanson (March 31, 1862 – July 7, 1939) was an American lawyer and Democratic politician from Virginia. He served as U.S. Representative (1893-1906), Governor of Virginia (1906-1910), and U.S. Senator from Virginia (1910-1933), before becoming U.S. Secretary of the Navy under President Franklin D. Roosevelt from 1933 until his death. Swanson and fellow U.S. Senator Thomas Staples Martin led a Democratic political machine in Virginia for decades in the late 19th and early 20th century, which later became known as the Byrd Organization for Swanson's successor as U.S. Senator, Harry Flood Byrd.
Claude Swanson was born to the former Catherine Rebecca Pritchett (1834-1873) and her husband John Muse Swanson (1829-1914) in Swansonville, Pittsylvania County, Virginia on March 31, 1862. His great grandfather William Swanson (delegate) had moved to Pittsylvania from Albermarle County, Virginia, had farmed a plantation using slave labor, represented Pittsylvania County in the Virginia General Assembly, and advocating for building a railroad between Richmond and Danville. John M. Swanson, who owned slaves in 1850 and 1860, served in the 5th Virginia Cavalry and 21st Virginia Infantry during the American Civil War. After the war, he worked with his brother as merchants and tobacco manufacturers, J.M. Swanson & Bro. in Swansonville. John and Catherine Swanson had three other sons who survived to adulthood, as well as three daughters: William Graves Swanson (1860-1934), John Pritchett Swanson and Henry Clay Swanson (1870-1952) and sisters Annie Blanche Swanson (1864-1948), Sallie Hill Swanson (1869-1950) and Julia Benson Swanson (1869-1933). Two siblings did not survive to adulthood.
...
Wikipedia