John E. Swift
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John Edward Swift (December 7, 1879 – August 19, 1967)[1] was an American judge who served as the ninth Supreme Knight of the Knights of Columbus from October 24, 1945, to August 31, 1953.
Early life
Swift was born in Milford, Massachusetts, in 1879 to Irish immigrants.[2] He received a bachelor's degree from Boston College in 1899 and a law degree from Boston University in 1902.Template:Sfn As a lawyer, he worked for Senator David I. Walsh and then with his brother Thomas in private practice.Template:Sfn
Career
United States federal work
Swift was a delegate to the Democratic National Conventions in 1916 and 1920 and was admitted to the Supreme Court Bar Association in 1917.Template:Sfn On May 17, 1933, he was appointed a Superior Court judge in Massachusetts to succeed Webster Thayer.Template:Sfn
Knights of Columbus
Swift joined the Knights of Columbus and was a member of Valencia Council 80 in Milford.Template:Sfn He served as grand knight, district deputy, state secretary, and finally was elected State Deputy of Massachusetts on May 10, 1927.Template:Sfn He became a Supreme Director in 1927 and then Deputy Supreme Knight in 1939.Template:Sfn He was elected Supreme Knight in 1945 and declined renomination in 1953.Template:Sfn
A staunch anti-communist, his denunciations of Soviet expansion led the USSR to veto Boston as the home of the United Nations.Template:Sfn
As Supreme Knight, he began a nationwide crusade against Communism. President Harry Truman endorsed the effort and mentioned in a letter to Swift that he hoped the entire membership "will join the crusade with zeal and enthusiasm."[3] Truman further stated, "[O]ur goal must be to drive out of our American life every movement which aims to promote within our borders any form of totalitarianism or any subversive movement."[3] Swift also convinced Truman to treat Spain fairly, and the Iberian country awarded him the Grand Cross of the Order of St. Raymond of Peñafort in recognition.Template:Sfn
In 1950, after a Special Audience with Pope Pius XII, Swift instituted a fund for the purchase and construction of the last playground in Rome. Primavalle, a newly populated district, was chosen for the site. This playground was named Pius XII and dedicated and blessed by Cardinal Francis Spellman, Archbishop of New York, on June 7, 1952.
Personal life
Swift was named a Massachusetts Superior Court Justice in 1947. His wife Emily died, aged 59, at their home in Milford on November 9, 1947, from a coronary thrombosis following a long illness.Script error: No such module "Unsubst". Swift died at his summer home in Osterville, Massachusetts, on August 19, 1967.[1]
Awards and honors
Swift was the recipient of three honorary degrees, the 1953 Catholic Action Medal, and the 1961 Lantern Award.Template:Sfn Pope Pius XII gave him at least three honors, including Order of Cape and Sword, which was reaffirmed by Popes John XXIII and Paul VI.Template:Sfn
References
External links
- Website of the Knights of Columbus
- New York Times, Mrs. John E. Swift Obituary, November 10, 1947, page 29.
- Pages with script errors
- American judges
- American Roman Catholics
- Lawyers from Boston
- Roman Catholic activists
- Place of birth missing
- American anti-communists
- 1879 births
- 1967 deaths
- Supreme Knights of the Knights of Columbus
- Deputy Supreme Knights of the Knights of Columbus
- Massachusetts State Deputies of the Knights of Columbus
- Pages with reference errors