Zephaniah Swift (February 27, 1759 – September 27, 1823) was an eighteenth-century American author, judge, lawyer, law professor, diplomat and politician from Windham, Connecticut. He served as a U.S. Representative from Connecticut and State Supreme Court Judge. He wrote the first legal treatise published in America. Early life and education Swift was born in Wareham, Massachusetts to Rowland Swift and Mary (Dexter) Swift. He moved with his parents to Lebanon, Connecticut. He completed preparatory studies and graduated from Yale College in 1778. He studied law, was admitted to the bar and began the practice of law in Windham, Connecticut. Career He served in the Connecticut General Assembly from 1787 to 1793, serving as speaker in 1792, and clerk of the lower house for four sessions. Swift represented Connecticut in the U.S. House as a Pro-Administration candidate to the Third Congress and as a Federalist candidate to the Fourth Congress. He served in Congress from March 4, 1793 to March 3, 1797. Upon the expiration of his second Congressional term he returned to Connecticut and was elected Speaker of the General Assembly. In 1795, Swift wrote "A System of the Law of the State of Connecticut", the first legal treatise published in America. In 1796, having served on a Congressional committee, he compiled and edited the first official version of "The Laws of the United States of America." The three volume collection was published by authority of Congress and contained an extensive index. For over a hundred years, Swift's work on this publication was wrongly credited to the publisher, Richard Folwell, until historian Clarence E. Carter established that Zephania Swift deserved credit for the project. After serving in Congress, Swift also resumed the practice of law in Windham and engaged in literary pursuits. He wrote "A Digest of the Laws of the State of Connecticut" which was published in 1820. It is said that a country law office was well furnished "if it had a three legged stool and Swift's Digest". He also wrote the first American treatise on the law of evidence. He was variously referred to as an "American Blackstone." Swift's publications were highly regarded around the United States and are still cited today. Although Swift's "System of Laws" focused on Connecticut law, it addressed American law generally, and was intended for a national audience. Swift also ran a successful law school for many years out of his office,