David Swing
(1830-1894)

David Swing was born in Cincinnati, Ohio, on August 23,1830,
the son of an Ohio River steamboat skipper. Both of his parents
came to this country from Germany. His father died of cholera in
1832, and he was raised by his mother, a devoted Christian woman
whose influence and teaching marked his life and career. He grad-
uated from Miami University in Oxford, Ohio, in 1852. After two
year's study of theology in Cincinnati, he returned to his alma
mater to teach Latin and Greek.

Swing was called to the Westminister Presbyterian Church of
Chicago in 1866. His sermons there attracted people from every
part of the city, regardless of church affiliation. When his congre-
gation later united with the North Presbyterian Church, he be-
came pastor of the unified Fourth Presbyterian Church, serving
that congregation from 1871 to 1874.
In October 1871, the Great
Chicago Fire destroyed the homes of all but two of his congrega-
tion as well as the church building itself. The scattered congrega-
tion began meeting in Standard Hall and later moved to the

McVicker's Theatre to accommodate the growing number of peo-
ple coming to the services.

Swing resumed preaching at the rebuilt Fourth Presbyterian
Church in 1874. Later that year heresy charges were brought
against him by the Reverend Francis L. Patton of the Chicago
Theological Seminary. The resulting trial was followed in news-
papers throughout the country. Although he had the support of a
large part of his congregation, the bitterness of the struggle led
him to resign his pastorate. Within a week of his resignation, and
with the support of many of Chicago's leading citizens, some of
whom were members of the Chicago Literary Club, arrangements
were made on his behalf for the immediate establishment of a
new church. A forceful intellect and a popular theologian, he was
 referred to by an admirer as "the Emerson of our American pulpit."

Swing was a member of the Chicago Literary Club from 1874,
the year of its founding, until his death on October 3,1894. He was
the first chairman of the Committee on Arrangements and Exer-

cises and, according to Frederick Gookin, had been offered the
presidency of the Club on several occasions. He presented twelve
papers, including A True Love Story, presented on November 13,
1893, which was the first paper to be published by the Club.

Read before the Club:  November 16, 1998