Richard Swett

Dick Swett (born May 1, 1957) is an American politician from the U.S. state of New Hampshire.

Swett was born in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania and moved to New Hampshire with his family as a child. He attended Yale University and became an architect - working in SOM's San Francisco office. Swett became active in the Democratic Party and eventually began a political career. He was elected to the United States House of Representatives in 1990 from the second district of New Hampshire. He was re-elected in 1992 but lost his re-election bid in 1994 to Republican Charles Bass. Swett was the last Democrat to represent New Hampshire in U.S. Congress until 2007. Swett is also a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, or the Mormon Church. In 1980 he married the daugther of Congressman Tom Lantos, Katrina.

In 1996, Swett ran as the Democratic Party candidate for a seat in the United States Senate from New Hampshire, against incumbent Republican Robert C. Smith, but was narrowly defeated. On the night of the election, in what may have been the most famous moment of his political career, many American media networks falsely projected that Swett had won.

In 1998, Swett was appointed by Bill Clinton to be the United States ambassador to Denmark. He served in that position until 2001, and then moved back to New Hampshire. In 2002, his wife, Katrina Swett, daughter of California's 12th District Representative Tom Lantos, ran against New Hampshire's 2nd congressional district incumbent Charles Bass and lost by a margin of 57% to 40%. Dick and Katrina currently reside in Bow, New Hampshire with their children.

Swett has recently returned to the field of architecture, assuming the position of Managing principal for the Washington DC office of Leo A Daly.

References

• Richard Swett at the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress

http://www.swettforsenate.com

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