Charles Henry Swift (1881-1966), served on the faculty of the University of Chicago's Department of Anatomy from 1910 to 1946. Swift came from an educated Kentucky family whose acquaintance with William Rainey Harper spurred a move to Chicago. As an undergraduate at the University of Chicago, Swift earned bachelor's degrees in history and in anatomy and botany. He then went on to receive an M.D. from Rush Medical College in 1910, and a Ph.D. in anatomy from University of Chicago.
Swift was appointed as Instructor of Anatomy in 1910, and was promoted to Assistant Professor (1918) and Associate Professor (1929). He retired to emeritus status in 1946. While he was broadly interested in anatomy, ornithology, botany and history, Swift's teaching and research specialties were in gross anatomy and the history of anatomy. His early publications, including his first paper "Origin and Early History of the Primordial Germ Cells in the Chick," (American Journal of Anatomy, 1914), were considered important contributions to the fields of anatomy and biology. However, he soon withdrew from pursuing intensive research, preferring to focus on teaching.
Swift married Juliana Streid in 1920; she survived him after his death in 1966. Like the rest of his family, he was active in the Chautauqua educational movement; he was involved in a Methodist-operated educational camp in Bay View, Michigan.
Professor Charles Henry Swift should not be confused with University of Chicago donor Charles Henry Swift.
From the guide to the Swift, Charles H. Papers, 1852-1953, (Special Collections Research Center University of Chicago Library 1100 East 57th Street Chicago, Illinois 60637 U.S.A.)
