James Swan

Born in Scotland in 1754 and raised in Boston, James Swan became involved in the patriot cause before and during the American Revolution. He was associated with the Sons of Liberty and is widely linked with the Boston Tea Party, later building a reputation as a merchant and political writer in the new republic.

Swan is best remembered for his financial ambitions in the 1790s. He moved in transatlantic business circles and became famous for arranging to handle large portions of the French debt owed to the United States, an unusually daring role for a private businessman of the era.

His career ended in a much darker way than it began. After financial troubles, he spent many years imprisoned for debt in Paris, where he died in 1830. That dramatic rise and fall has made him a memorable figure in the early history of American finance.