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Alexander Hamilton Swan

American politician and farmer (1831-1905)

Correspondence, annotated notebooks and portrait silhouettes prepared for research
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Record originEnglish Wikipedia
Text licenseCC BY-SA 4.0
Source revisionAug 25, 2026
Entity authorityQ78140857
Source-derived summary

Alexander Hamilton Swan (November 24, 1831 – 1905) was an American businessman and politician who served as a member of the Iowa House of Representatives from 1870 to 1872 and founded the Wyoming-based Swan Land and Cattle Company among other Wyoming livestock-related companies. He served as a Republican member of the legislative assembly of the Wyoming Territory. After having amassed vast wealth through his ventures in Wyoming, Swan lost his fortune in 1887. He relocated to Odgen, Utah, and died in 1905.

Early life

Swan was born on November 24, 1831, in Carmichaels, Pennsylvania, in Greene County near Pittsburgh. His family was not wealthy during his childhood. He was a member of the Presbyterian Church.

Life and career in Iowa

In 1862, Swan settled near Indianola, in Warren County, Iowa. From January 10, 1870, to January 7, 1872, Swan served as a member of the Iowa House of Representatives, representing the 22nd district. His district represented Warren County.

Editorial summary

This brief starts where responsible research should: with the source description of “Alexander Hamilton Swan” as american politician and farmer (1831-1905). Everything that follows is an evidence route, not borrowed authority.

Editorial reviewStrongest as a route into the people, institutions and dated events that shaped the subject’s public record. The current lead gives the account dated anchors—1831, 1905, 1870, 1872—that can be checked directly. The linked authority record independently contributes the date 1831-11-24. The account is most persuasive where Alexander, Hamilton and Swan can be independently traced.
Editorial analysis

Why this record matters

The subject matters to the people & ideas register because the source frames it as american politician and farmer (1831-1905). Its deeper value depends on whether names, dates, institutions and citations support that framing.

Evidence profile

Chronology provides the most reliable spine for this subject; interpretation should follow only after identities and dates are secure. The source revision retrieved here is dated Aug 25, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q78140857. VIAF identifies the subject as 11730485. The Library of Congress control number is n2006019495. 1 of 3 selected statements include explicit references; 0 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank. The first chronological checks are 1831, 1905, 1870 and 1872.

Critical limits

A concise life account rarely captures disputed attribution, private networks or the changing language used to describe a career. The lead is largely declarative, so disagreement and counter-evidence require a deliberate search beyond the opening account. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.

How to read it

Read biographical claims against dates, named institutions and the cited references. Distinguish a subject’s later reputation from evidence produced during their lifetime.

Best used for
  • Establishing names and roles
  • Building a first chronology
  • Locating cited institutions
Verify next

Personal papers, civil or court records, institutional files and the scholarship cited by the source.

Three-step research path

  1. Establish the record: confirm the title “Alexander Hamilton Swan”, its source revision and the description used here.
  2. Expand the search: follow Alexander Hamilton Swan primary sources, Alexander Hamilton Swan archive and Alexander research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
  3. Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.

Questions for further research

  1. Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “Alexander Hamilton Swan”?
  2. Which primary records establish identity, chronology and institutional ties?
  3. How has the subject’s reputation changed across later accounts?
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Source & attribution

This entry incorporates text from Alexander Hamilton Swan” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.