Samuel Swan

Samuel Swan (1771, near Scotch Plains, New Jersey – August 24, 1844, Bound Brook, New Jersey) was an American physician and five-term United States Representative from New Jersey who served in Congress from 1821 to 1831. Born near Scotch Plains in what was then a largely rural part of New Jersey, he came of age in the early years of the American republic, a period that shaped his later engagement in public life and national politics.

After completing his early education, Swan studied medicine, preparing for a professional career in an era when formal medical schools were still developing in the United States. By 1800 he had established himself as a practicing physician in Bound Brook, New Jersey. He maintained his medical practice there from 1800 to 1806, serving the needs of a small but growing community. In 1806 he moved his practice to Somerville, New Jersey, where he continued to work as a physician until 1809. His medical career provided him with local prominence and a foundation for subsequent public service at the county and national levels.

Swan’s entry into public office came through county positions in Somerset County, New Jersey. Before his election to Congress, he served as sheriff of Somerset County for two years, a role that involved responsibility for law enforcement and the execution of court orders in the county. He also held the office of county clerk for twelve years, managing official records and legal documents. These posts reflected the confidence placed in him by his community and gave him administrative and governmental experience that would prove valuable in his later legislative career.

Swan was elected to the United States House of Representatives as a representative from New Jersey for five consecutive terms, serving in the Seventeenth, Eighteenth, Nineteenth, Twentieth, and Twenty-first Congresses from March 4, 1821, to March 3, 1831. During this decade in the House, he participated in the legislative process at a time of significant national development, including debates over internal improvements, economic policy, and the evolving balance of power between the federal government and the states. He initially served as an at-large representative for New Jersey, representing the state as a whole, and during his second term he represented New Jersey’s 2nd congressional district. For his remaining terms he again served as an at-large representative. Although he did not formally represent a party when first elected to the House and is sometimes described as of an unknown party affiliation in contemporary summaries, he was eventually associated with the emerging Whig Party as party structures solidified in the 1820s and early 1830s. After five terms, he retired from Congress in 1831 without seeking renomination, concluding a decade of continuous federal legislative service.

Following his departure from Congress, Swan returned to private life and resumed the practice of medicine. He again served his community as a physician, reflecting the dual character of his career as both a medical professional and a public official. He continued to reside in New Jersey, maintaining his ties to the communities in which he had long lived and worked.

Samuel Swan died in Bound Brook, New Jersey, on August 24, 1844. He was interred in the Presbyterian Cemetery in Bound Brook. His life and career combined medical practice, county administration, and national legislative service, and his five terms in the House of Representatives placed him among the notable New Jersey political figures of the early nineteenth century.