career and life Swanson served 24 years as an Illinois state legislature between the years 1922-46 and 1948-50. During the one term he was not in the Illinois assembly Swanson was the attorney to the Speaker of the House in Illinois' state capitol, Springfield. In 1912 Swanson was elected Secretary of the newly established Judicial Advisory Council chartered to study laws relating to judicial organization, criminal law, and criminal and civil procedure, and establish relationships with similar councils of other states. Swanson served as Hearing Referee for the Division of Correction. In addition to his political career he built a good reputation as a lawyer in Southtown (Chicago). Swanson found time collecting stamps, of the United States, and read American Civil War history. He was an enthusiastic fisherman, and liked to travel. Swanson's stepson, Harry Carlson said, "While other political figures were going to Hot Springs or Florida, dad traveled down the Mississippi river on a steamboat five time to observe the South at first hand." He enjoyed smoking cigars. By 1940 David, Margaret and Harry were living at 7842 Marshfield Avenue, a working class neighborhood. The occupations of their neighbors included fireman, reporter, janitor, office clerk, wheat inspector, sewing machine operator, milkman, sales lady, telephone operator, chemist, guard and auto mechanic. None of the neighbors appear to be of Scandinavian origin. The David I. Swanson family was an element of the ethnic melting pot of Chicago. By religious denomination Swanson was baptist and he was a lay preacher. Swanson died of a heart attack in the headquarters of the 18th ward Republican organization in the Englewood Masonic Temple on 64th and Green Streets on election night, April 8, 1950. During the day voters had chosen him by a wide margin as one of the two men who would represent the Republican party in the November election for state representative at Springfield, Illinois, the state's capitol. Legacy With the exception of one term between 1946 and 1948, Swanson remained a State of Illinois Representative until his death. Of his work one person said that "Dave knew how to get things done in the legislature. He worked to weed out bad proposals and got behind good ideas and pushed to make them into laws." The Daily News said of Swanson, "He has fought machine politics - both in the Democratic party and in his own party, the Republican. He has worked