Editing Al Swift

{{short description|American politician}}

{{more footnotes needed|date=August 2016}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=September 2013}}
{{Infobox officeholder
| name = Al Swift
| image name = Al Swift.png
| image_size=180px
|birth_name=Allan Byron Swift
| birth_date = {{birth date|1935|9|12}}
| birth_place =[[Tacoma, Washington]], U.S.
| death_date ={{death date and age|2018|4|20|1935|9|12}}
| death_place =[[Alexandria, Virginia]], U.S.
| state = [[Washington (state)|Washington]]
| district = [[Washington's 2nd congressional district|2nd]]
| term_start = January 3, 1979
| term_end = January 3, 1995
| preceded = [[Lloyd Meeds]]
| succeeded = [[Jack Metcalf (politician)|Jack Metcalf]]
| party = [[United States Democratic Party|Democrat]]
| spouse =
| children =
|alma_mater= [[Central Washington University]]
| religion =
|module       = {{Listen|pos=center|embed=yes|filename=Rep. Al Swift on the National Voter Registration Act of 1993.ogg|title=Al Swift's voice|type=speech|description=Al Swift addresses concerns with the [[National Voter Registration Act of 1993]]<br/>Recorded June 16, 1992}}
}}

'''Allan Byron Swift''' (September 12, 1935 – April 20, 2018) was an American [[Emmy]] award–winning broadcaster and politician who served as a member of the [[United States House of Representatives]] for eight terms from 1979 to 1995. He represented the [[Washington's 2nd congressional district|Second Congressional District]] of [[Washington (state)|Washington]] as a [[United States Democratic Party|Democrat]].

== Biography ==
Swift was born in [[Tacoma, Washington]], in 1935. He studied for two years at [[Whitman College]] where he was a member of the [[Sigma Chi]] Chapter. He received a bachelor's degree from the [[Central Washington University|Central Washington College of Education]] in 1957.

Prior to his sixteen years in Congress, Swift was a broadcaster in several stations throughout Washington State in the towns of Walla Walla ([[KUJ (AM)|KUJ]]), Ellensburg ([[KXLE (AM)|KXLE]]) and Bellingham ([[KVOS-TV]]). At KVOS, he was Director of News and Public Affairs, producing a series of weekly public interest programs and documentaries and earning an [[Emmy]] from the [[National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences]].

=== Congress ===
He was first elected to the House in 1978, replacing the retiring [[Lloyd Meeds]],<ref>{{cite book |last1=Barone |first1=Michael |author-link1=Michael Barone (pundit) |last2=Ujifusa |first2=Grant |title=[[The Almanac of American Politics|The Almanac of American Politics 1988]] |work=[[National Journal]] |year=1987 |page=1253}}</ref> for whom Swift had served as an administrative assistant from 1965 to 1969 and from 1977 to 1978. Swift won re-election in 1980, 1982, 1984, 1986, 1988, 1990, and 1992. Swift served on the powerful [[Energy and Commerce Committee]], of which he was the 5th ranking member during his final term and chair of the subcommittee on Transportation and Hazardous Materials. He also chaired the [[United States House Administration Subcommittee on Elections|Subcommittee on Elections]] of the [[House Administration Committee]]. Among his accomplishments was authorship of [[Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act]], which was designed to support emergency planning regarding [[Superfund]] sites. Swift also authored and led the passage of the [[National Voter Registration Act of 1993]], otherwise known as motor-voter, which expanded voter registration options nationwide including drivers license offices and mail-in registration. He retired and did not run for re-election in 1994, an election in which the Democrats lost this seat.

=== Later career ===
Following his final term in Congress, Swift was Vice President of Governmental Affairs with [[Burlington Northern Railroad]] until its merger with [[Santa Fe Railroad]] in 1996 and had a new railroad siding south of Blaine, WA named after him (Swift) . He was later a principal with the [[Washington, D.C.]], political strategy firm [http://www.collingswifthynes.com/ Colling, Swift & Hynes] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080703195718/http://www.collingswifthynes.com/ |date=July 3, 2008 }} and a regular member of the internet based radio talk show called Backroom Politics. He and his wife, Paula, had two daughters, Amy Swift Donovan and Lauri Swift, and resided in [[Alexandria, Virginia]].

=== Death ===
Swift died on April 20, 2018, in [[Alexandria, Virginia]].<ref name=Kamb>{{citation |last=Kamb |first=Lewis |title=8-term Washington congressman Al Swift dies at 82 | newspaper=[[The Seattle Times]] |date=April 21, 2018 |url=https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/politics/8-term-washington-congressman-al-swift-dies-at-82/}}</ref>

==See also==
* [[Washington state congressional delegates]]

==References==
{{reflist}}
{{CongLinks | congbio=S001115}}
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20080916090433/http://www.stennis.gov/Congressional%20Bios/alswift.htm Stennis Center for Public Service profile of Al Swift]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20070805164520/http://www.collingswifthynes.com/our_team/al_swift.html Colling, Swift & Hynes bio of Al Swift]
*{{C-SPAN|6410}}

{{s-start}}
{{s-par|us-hs}}
{{US House succession box
| state=Washington
| district=2
| before=[[Lloyd Meeds]]
| years = 1979&ndash;1995
| after=[[Jack Metcalf (politician)|Jack Metcalf]]}}
{{s-end}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Swift, Allen}}
[[Category:1935 births]]
[[Category:2018 deaths]]
[[Category:American radio journalists]]
[[Category:American television journalists]]
[[Category:Central Washington University alumni]]
[[Category:Democratic Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Washington (state)]]
[[Category:News & Documentary Emmy Award winners]]
[[Category:Politicians from Alexandria, Virginia]]
[[Category:Politicians from Tacoma, Washington]]
[[Category:Radio personalities from Washington (state)]]
[[Category:Members of Congress who became lobbyists]]
[[Category:20th-century members of the United States House of Representatives]]