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	(1862-03-31)March 31, 1862 Swansonville, Virginia, U.S.
Died	July 7, 1939(1939-07-07) (aged 77) Rapidan Camp, Virginia, U.S.
Political party	Democratic
Spouse(s)	Elizabeth Deane Lyons
Alma mater	Virginia Agricultural and Mechanical College Randolph-Macon College University of Virginia
Profession	Politician, Lawyer, Teacher

Claude Augustus Swanson (March 31, 1862 – July 7, 1939) was an American lawyer and Democratic politician from Virginia.

He served seven terms in the U.S. House of Representatives, from 1893 until 1906, was the 45th Governor of Virginia from 1906 until 1910, and represented Virginia as a United States Senator from 1910 until 1933. Swanson lived most of his life at his estate Eldon in Pittsylvania County, Virginia, built by the Whittle family for whom Chatham's Whittle Street is named.^[1]

He was Secretary of the Navy under Franklin D. Roosevelt from 1933 until his death in 1939, at Herbert Hoover's Rapidan Camp (which was then available for use by the Roosevelt Administration) at age 77.

Electoral history

• 1892; Swanson was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives with 53.91% of the vote, defeating Populist Benjamin T. Jones.
• 1894; Swanson was re-elected with 52.34% of the vote, defeating Republican G.W.Cornett, Independent G.W. Hale, and Populist W.T. Shelton.
• 1896; Swanson was re-elected with 50.98% of the vote, defeating Republican John Robert Brown.
• 1898; Swanson was re-elected with 57.02% of the vote, defeating Republican Edmund Parr, Populist R.A. Bennett, Independent Republican R.O. Martin, and Independent C.T. Seay
• 1900; Swanson was re-elected with 58.14% of the vote, defeating Republican John R. Whitehead.
• 1902; Swanson was re-elected with 60.8% of the vote, defeating Republican Beverly A. Davis and Populist Dan Dickerson.
• 1904; Swanson was re-elected with 64.98% of the vote, defeating Republican J.B. Stovall.
• 1905; Swanson was elected Governor of Virginia with 64.51% of the vote, defeating Republican Lunsford L. Lewis and Socialist Labor B.D. Downey.

Memorials

The Swanson Middle School in Arlington, Virginia is named for him.

The USS Swanson (DD-443) is named for him.

Short-lived Swanson County, Oklahoma, was also named for him, while he was still alive.

References

Further reading

• Claude A. Swanson of Virginia: A Political Biography, Henry C. Ferrell Jr., The University Press of Kentucky, 1985

External links

• Media related to Claude A. Swanson at Wikimedia Commons

• United States Congress. "Claude A. Swanson (id: S001094)". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress.  Retrieved on 2009-05-16
• "Claude A. Swanson". Find a Grave. Retrieved 2009-05-16. 
• A Guide to the Executive Papers of Governor Claude A. Swanson, 1902-1913 (bulk 1906-1909) at The Library of Virginia

Governors of Virginia
Colony of Virginia	Wingfield Ratcliffe Scrivener Smith Percy Gates De La Warr Dale Yeardley Argall Wyatt West Pott Harvey West Berkeley Bennett Digges Mathews Colepeper Howard of Effingham Andros Nicholson Nott Jenings Hunter Orkney (absentee) Spotswood Drysdale "King" Carter Gooch Albemarle (absentee) Gooch Lee Burwell (acting) Dinwiddie Loudoun Fauquier Amherst (absentee) Fauquier Botetourt W. Nelson Dunmore
Commonwealth of Virginia	Henry Jefferson Fleming T. Nelson B. Harrison Henry E. Randolph B. Randolph H. Lee Brooke Wood Monroe Page Cabell Tyler Sr. G. Smith Monroe G. Smith P. Randolph Barbour Nicholas Preston T. Randolph Pleasants Tyler Jr. Giles J. Floyd Tazewell Robertson Campbell Gilmer Patton Rutherfoord Gregory McDowell W. "EB" Smith J. B. Floyd Johnson Wise Letcher W. "EB" Smith Pierpont Wells Walker Kemper Holliday Cameron F. Lee McKinney O'Ferrall J. H. Tyler Montague Swanson Mann Stuart Davis Trinkle Byrd Pollard Peery Price Darden Tuck Battle Stanley Almond A. Harrison Godwin Holton Godwin Dalton Robb Baliles Wilder Allen Gilmore Warner Kaine McDonnell McAuliffe

United States Senators from Virginia
Class 1	Grayson Walker Monroe S. Mason Taylor Venable Giles Moore Brent J. Barbour Randolph Tyler Rives Pennybacker J. Mason Willey Bowden Lewis Withers Mahone Daniel Swanson Byrd Sr. Byrd Jr. Trible Robb Allen Webb Kaine
Class 2	Lee Taylor H. Tazewell Nicholas Moore Giles A. Mason Eppes Pleasants Taylor L. Tazewell Rives Leigh Parker Roane Archer Hunter Carlile Johnston Riddleberger J. S. Barbour Hunton Martin Glass Burch Robertson Spong Scott J. Warner M. Warner

United States Department of the Navy
Secretaries	Cabinet level Stoddert Smith Hamilton Jones Crowninshield S Thompson Southard Branch L. Woodbury Dickerson Paulding Badger Upshur Henshaw Gilmer Mason Bancroft Mason Preston Graham Kennedy Dobbin Toucey Welles Borie Robeson R Thompson Goff Hunt Chandler Whitney Tracy Herbert Long Moody Morton Bonaparte Metcalf Newberry Meyer Daniels Denby Wilbur Adams Swanson Edison Knox Forrestal Dept. of Defense Sullivan Matthews Kimball Anderson Thomas T. Gates Franke Connally Korth Nitze Ignatius Chafee Warner Middendorf Claytor Hidalgo Lehman Webb Ball Garrett O'Keefe Dalton Danzig England Winter Mabus
Under Secretaries	Forrestal Bard A. Gates Sullivan Kenney Kimball Whitehair Thomas T. Gates Franke Bantz Fay BeLieu Baldwin Baird Warner Sanders Middendorf Potter Macdonald Woolsey Murray Goodrich Garrett Howard Danzig Hultin Pirie Livingstone Aviles Work
Assistant Secretaries	Pre-1954 Fox Faxon Soley McAdoo T. Roosevelt Sr. Allen Hackett Darling Newberry Satterlee Winthrop F. Roosevelt G. Woodbury T. Roosevelt Jr. Robinson Jahncke H. Roosevelt Edison Compton Bard Hensel Kenney Andrews Koehler Askins Fogler Post-1954 Financial Management and Comptroller Installations and Environment Manpower and Reserve Affairs Research, Development and Acquisitions General Counsel of the Navy defunct: Air Installations and Logistics Material Research and Development Research, Engineering and Systems Shipbuilding and Logistics

Chairmen of the United States Senate Committee on Armed Services
Military Affairs Committee (1816–1947)	J. Williams Troup J. Williams Jackson Harrison Benton Preston Crittenden Benton Cass Benton Davis Shields Weller Davis Johnson Wilson Logan Spencer Randolph Logan Sewell Hawley Walthall Hawley Proctor Warren du Pont Johnston Chamberlain Wadsworth Reed Sheppard Reynolds Thomas
Naval Affairs Committee (1816–1947)	Tait Sanford Pleasants Lloyd Hayne Dallas Southard Rives R. Williams Mangum Bayard Fairfield Yulee Gwin Mallory J. Hale Grimes Cragin Sargent McPherson Cameron McPherson Cameron E. Hale Perkins Tillman Swanson Page F. Hale Trammell Walsh
Armed Services Committee (1947–present)	Gurney Tydings Russell Saltonstall Russell Stennis Tower Goldwater Nunn Thurmond Warner Levin Warner Levin Warner Levin McCain

Chairmen of the United States Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works
Public Buildings (1838–1857)	Fulton Kerr Dayton Cameron Bright Hunter Whitcomb James Bayard
Public Buildings and Grounds (1857–1947)	Bright Foot Brown Fessenden Morrill Dawes Jones Rollins Mahone Stanford Vest Quay Fairbanks Warren Scott Sutherland Swanson Reed Fernald Lenroot Keyes Connally Maloney Andrews
Public Works (1947–1977)	Revercomb Chávez Martin Chávez McNamara Randolph
Environment and Public Works (1977–)	Randolph Stafford Burdick Moynihan Baucus Chafee Smith Reid Smith Jeffords Inhofe Boxer Inhofe

Cabinet of President Franklin D. Roosevelt (1933–45)
Vice President	John N. Garner (1933–41) Henry A. Wallace (1941–45) Harry S. Truman (1945)
Secretary of State	Cordell Hull (1933–44) Edward R. Stettinius Jr. (1944–45)
Secretary of the Treasury	William Hartman Woodin (1933–34) Henry Morgenthau Jr. (1934–45)
Secretary of War	George H. Dern (1933–36) Harry H. Woodring (1936–40) Henry L. Stimson (1940–45)
Attorney General	Homer S. Cummings (1933–39) Frank Murphy (1939–40) Robert H. Jackson (1940–41) Francis B. Biddle (1941–45)
Postmaster General	James A. Farley (1933–40) Frank C. Walker (1940–45)
Secretary of the Navy	Claude A. Swanson (1933–39) Charles Edison (1940) Frank Knox (1940–44) James V. Forrestal (1944–45)
Secretary of the Interior	Harold L. Ickes (1933–45)
Secretary of Agriculture	Henry A. Wallace (1933–40) Claude Raymond Wickard (1940–45)
Secretary of Commerce	Daniel C. Roper (1933–38) Harry L. Hopkins (1938–40) Jesse H. Jones (1940–45) Henry A. Wallace (1945)
Secretary of Labor	Frances Perkins (1933–45)
Informal	Black Cabinet