William Graham Swan

William Graham Swan
Confederate Congressman from Tennessee
In office
February 18, 1862 – March 18, 1865
Preceded byNew office
Succeeded byEnd of office
Mayor of Knoxville, Tennessee
In office
1855–1856
Preceded byJames C. Luttrell
Succeeded byJames H. Cowan
Personal details
Bornc. 1821
Probably East Tennessee or Alabama[1]
DiedApril 12, 1869
Memphis, Tennessee
Resting placeElmwood Cemetery[2]
Political partyWhig
Democratic Party
SpouseMargaret Paralee Mabry[2]
Alma materEast Tennessee College[2]
ProfessionLawyer

William Graham Swan (c. 1821 – April 12, 1869) was an American attorney and politician active primarily in East Tennessee during the mid-19th century. Swan served in the Confederate States Congress during the American Civil War, and served one term as mayor of Knoxville, Tennessee, from 1855 until late 1856.[2] He also helped establish the town of East Knoxville (later annexed by Knoxville), and served as its first mayor in the late 1850s.[3] In 1854, Swan and his brother-in-law, Joseph Mabry, donated the initial land for the formation of Market Square in downtown Knoxville.[1]

  1. ^ a b Jack Neely, Market Square: A History of the Most Democratic Place on Earth (Knoxville, Tenn.: Market Square District Association, 2009), pp. 8-9, 17-23.
  2. ^ a b c d East Tennessee Historical Society, Mary Rothrock (ed.), The French Broad-Holston Country: A History of Knox County, Tennessee (Knoxville, Tenn.: East Tennessee Historical Society, 1972), pp. 131, 493-495.
  3. ^ John Wooldridge, George Mellen, William Rule (ed.), Standard History of Knoxville, Tennessee (Chicago: Lewis Publishing Company, 1900; reprinted by Kessinger Books, 2010), pp. 104, 138, 328.