
John Swainson (31 July 1925-13 May 1994) was the Democratic Governor of Michigan from 1 January 1961 to 1 January 1963, succeeding G. Mennen Williams and preceding George W. Romney.
Biography[]
John Swainson was born in Windsor, Ontario, Canada, and he was raised in Port Huron, Michigan from the age of two. He served in the US Army during World War II, losing both legs to a landmine near Metz on 15 November 1944. Swainson went on to practice law and serve in the State Senate from 1955 to 1959, as Lieutenant Governor from 1959 to 1961, as Governor from 1961 to 1963, and as a state supreme court justice from 1971 to 1975. Swainson's tenure as governor was marked by increased taxes to fund educational programs, and he cancelled the cross-border tolls implemented to pay for the Bluewater International Bridge into Sarnia, Ontario. He was defeated for re-election by Republican George W. Romney, who won the support of independents and suburban Detroit voters. Swainson marched with Martin Luther King Jr. in Detroit on 23 June 1963, and he later served on the supreme court, only to resign in 1975 over accepting a $20,000 bribe from a felon, serve 60 days in jail, and lose his legal license for three years. He died in Manchester, Michigan in 1994.