Zephaniah Swift
| Zephaniah Swift | |
|---|---|
| Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Connecticut's At-large district |
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In office March 4, 1793 – March 3, 1797 |
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| Preceded by | Joshua Coit |
| Succeeded by | Uriah Tracy |
| Member of the Connecticut House of Representatives | |
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In office 1787–1793 |
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| Personal details | |
| Born |
February 27, 1759 Wareham, Massachusetts, U.S. |
| Died | September 27, 1823 (aged 64) Warren, Ohio, U.S. |
| Citizenship | USA |
| Political party | Pro-Administration Party and Federalist |
| Spouse(s) | Jerusha Watrous Swift and Lucretia Webb Swift |
| Children | Henry Swift, George Swift, Edward Swift, Lucretia Swift and Emily Swift |
| Alma mater | Yale College |
| Occupation | Lawyer, Author, Politician, Judge |
Zephaniah Swift (February 27, 1759 – September 27, 1823) was an eighteenth-century American author, judge, lawyer and politician from Windham, Connecticut. He served as a U.S. Representative from Connecticut and State Supreme Court Judge. He wrote the first legal treatise published in America.
Swift was born in Wareham, Massachusetts to Rowland Swift and Mary (Dexter) Swift. He moved with his parents to Lebanon, Connecticut. He completed preparatory studies and graduated from Yale College in 1778. He studied law, was admitted to the bar and began the practice of law in Windham, Connecticut.
He served in the State's House of Representatives from 1787 to 1793, serving as speaker in 1792, and clerk of the house for four sessions. Swift represented Connecticut in the U.S. House as a Pro-Administration candidate to the Third Congress and as a Federalist candidate to the Fourth Congress. He served in Congress from March 4, 1793 to March 3, 1797.
In 1795, Swift wrote "A System of the Law of the State of Connecticut", the first legal treatise published in America.
After serving in Congress, Swift resumed the practice of law in Windham and engaged in literary pursuits. He wrote "A Digest of the Laws of the State of Connecticut" which was published in 1820. He was a member of the Connecticut council of assistants in 1799 and 1801.
Swift served as secretary of the French mission in 1800. He was judge of the Connecticut Supreme Court beginning in 1801 and served as the Chief Justice from 1806 to 1819. Swift was a member of the Hartford Convention from 1814 to 1815, and was an advocate of secession in opposition to the War of 1812. When the Connecticut Constitution was adopted in 1818, he lost favor with his colleagues due to his support of secession and lost his position in the Supreme Court.
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