Swank, James Moore, 1832-1914

James M. Swank was born in Westmoreland County, Pa., on July 12, 1832, and grew up in Johnstown. In 1852 he became editor of the local Whig newspaper, reorganized it as a daily, the JOHNSTOWN TRIBUNE, and became sole owner in 1864. From 1869 to 1871 he served as clerk of the U.S. House Committee on Manufactures, under the patronage of Rep. Daniel J. Morrell, a Johnstown steelmaker. He then became a clerk in the Department of Agriculture and produced the first published history of that department.

Having developed his statistical and writing skills, Swank became secretary of the American Iron & Steel Association, a trade and lobbying organization, in 1873. He revitalized the organization, establishing its DIRECTORY OF IRON AND STEEL WORKS, 17 editions of which appeared during his tenure. Swank rapidly became the official historian and statistician of the iron and steel industry. In 1878 he published INTRODUCTION TO A HISTORY OF IRONMAKING AND COAL MINING IN PENNSYLVANIA for the Penna. Board of Centennial Commissioners and followed this in 1884 with the first edition of HISTORY OF THE MANUFACTURE OF IRON IN ALL AGES. An enlarged second edition appeared in 1892. He also authored several hundred tariff tracts and articles. He died on June 21, 1914.

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