John Swainson | |
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Swainson in 1961
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42nd Governor of Michigan | |
In office January 1, 1961 – January 1, 1963 |
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Lieutenant | T. John Lesinski |
Preceded by | G. Mennen Williams |
Succeeded by | George W. Romney |
52nd Lieutenant Governor of Michigan | |
In office 1959–1961 |
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Governor | G. Mennen Williams |
Preceded by | Philip Hart |
Succeeded by | T. John Lesinski |
Member of the Michigan Senate | |
In office 1954–1959 |
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Personal details | |
Born | July 31, 1925 Windsor, Ontario |
Died | May 13, 1994 (aged 68) Manchester, Michigan |
Political party | Democratic |
Spouse(s) | Alice Nielsen |
Religion | United Church of Christ |
John Burley Swainson (July 31, 1925 – May 13, 1994) was a politician and jurist from the US state of Michigan and the 42nd Governor of Michigan.
Swainson was born in Windsor, Ontario, Canada. He moved to Port Huron, Michigan, at the age of two, with his family.
His father, John A. C. Swainson, of Port Huron, was a Democratic presidential elector for Michigan in 1964 and an alternate Michigan delegate to the 1972 Democratic National Convention.
He was captain of his high school football team and an Eagle Scout.
Swainson served in the United States Army during World War II with the 95th Infantry Division and lost both legs by amputation following a landmine explosion November 15, 1944, near Metz, Alsace-Lorraine. He was awarded France's Croix de Guerre, the Presidential Unit Citation with two battle stars, and the Purple Heart, all before his twentieth birthday. After months of convalescence and rehabilitation at the Percy Jones Army Hospital in Battle Creek, Swainson learned to walk upright and unassisted.