William Swift
| William Swift | |
|---|---|
| Born |
March 17, 1848 Windham, Connecticut |
| Died | June 30, 1919 (aged 71) Newport, Rhode Island |
| Place of burial | Richfield Springs, New York |
| Allegiance |
 United States
|
| Service/branch |
 United States Navy
|
| Years of service | 1867–1910 |
| Rank | Rear Admiral |
| Commands held |
Prairie Concord Princeton Yorktown Connecticut |
| Battles/wars | Spanish–American War |
William Swift (March 17, 1848 – June 30, 1919) was a rear admiral in the United States Navy, and briefly the Naval Governor of Guam in 1901. He was court-martialed in 1907 for the grounding of the battleship Connecticut (BB-18), and briefly suspended from duty. In 1910, he headed the aptly named Swift Board which reorganized the Department of the Navy prior to World War I.
Swift was born in Windham, Connecticut, and entered the Navy with the rank of midshipman on 25 September 1863, graduating from the United States Naval Academy in June 1867. He was promoted to ensign on 18 December 1868, then to master on 21 March 1870, lieutenant on 21 March 1871, lieutenant commander on 24 October 1889, and commander on 6 April 1897.
Swift served as Executive Officer aboard the battleship Indiana (BB-1) in 1896 under Robley "Fighting Bob" Evans.
During the Spanish–American War, he was the Inspector of Ordnance in the New York Naval Yard, with a rank of commander. On May 28, 1900, he was given command of the auxiliary cruiser Prairie. On April 6, he was transferred to command of the gunboat Concord. In May 1901, he was transferred again, this time to the gunboat Princeton, then transferred to command of Yorktown in June. While commanding Yorktown in the Pacific, he was briefly appointed as Governor of Guam to allow then-Governor Seaton Schroeder to return to Washington, D.C. to testify in the Schley Inquiry. Swift served in this capacity from early August to early October 1901, before resuming command of Yorktown.
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