The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1911-04-03
OWNER OF TWO
 HHERALDS" DEAD
 AT FLORIDA HOME
Frederick R. Swift in Prime of Life Succumbs to Cancer of Liver-Body to be Brought Here

Frederick R. Swift, founder and | owner of the Bridgeport Herald and
 the Waterbury Herald, passed away Sunday morning at his home in Sea
 breeze, Florida, after long illness of cancer of the liver. News of his death came as a shock to his friends in this city, although his illness had been known.
 MT. Swift's remains are now on the
 way to Bridgeport, and his funeral
 probably will be held here, but the
 details for it have not yet been arr
 ranged
 Fred R. Swift was one of the most unique figures in journalism in. this country, and his career from begin ming to end was replete with interest ing incidents. From a financial point of view his life was a very successful
 one, for he began as a poor boy with practically nothing at all, and died a rich man. the owner of two valuable | newspaper properties. and considerable
 real estate in Florida, as we'll as a cash fortune estimated at consider able sum.
 While the most important events of Mir Swift's career took place in Dan bury. Waterbury and Bridgeport, the last eight or ten years of his life were passed in Florida. More than a dozen years ago he formed the custom of spending his winters in Cuba and
 Florida, and about eight years ago he made his residence in Florida per- manent. He had been in Bridgeport only about three times during the past ! decade. His last visit to this city was in June, 1909, at which time he stayed only day or two.
 An amusing incident of MT. Swift's s life down South, which throws light
 upon his peculiar makeup, was his election to the position of Mayor of Seabreeze a few years ago. Public life was not one of Mir. Swift's aspirations, and when he learn | ed that his admiring fellow citizens were planning to run him for Mayor
 he told them to quit, and in order to
 balk their plans. went off for a sev- eral weeks trip. alligator hunting in the wild lands
 When he returned he found that the plans had heen carried out despite his absence, and he was hailed as Mayor of Seabreeze.
 To the astonishment of the town, he swore that he wouldn't acce' the of flee No amount of persuasion would turn him from his decision For a l time Seabreeze had an executive who refused to be Mayor The citizens were finally forced to accept MT Swifts utimatum. They called a special election and put another man on the job.
 MT. Swift was about 50 years of age and a native of England He came to this country with his father in the '7O's. and settled in Rochester N Y. The elder Swift was a goldbeater and at the building Of the State Capitol in Connecticut furnished the gold
 work for that structure.
 21x A, %a1 0 journalist upon the newspapers of Rochester. He asrired to own a paper of his own Tn 1SS6 he moved to Dan- bury and there established the Dan bury Democrat in partnership with the late Judge James Walsh Of Dan- bury This paper was continued for a couple of years.
 Tn 1888 Mir Swift went from Danbury to Waterbury The legend runs that he walked the distance and carried
 some of his printing tools with him.
 Al any rate. he wasn't in Waterbury lono before he acquired the backin" Of George Simonson a member of the
 renortoria1 staff of the New York Sun,
 and the two brought about the publi-
 cation of the Waterbury Herald. This paper was established on February 19, 1888.
 The success of the new enterprise
 was immediate. The papers holiness 1nVOlNSu U III HIdHy llUoi bul IL
 weat9lered them all and grew in cir collation. MT. Swift bought out his
 partner and in 1891. in order to secure
 a better base for the distribution of
 his paper throughout the State, nov
 ed to Bridgeport.
 His first office here was in the Ar
 cade and the paper was printed in
 Knowlton street. In 1892 the plant
 was moved to it's present building in Middle street, which was erected for
 that purpose. The Bridgeport Her aud and Waterbury Herald were es-
 tablished as separate papers.
 Early in the history of his papers,
 Mir. Swift acquired the services of
 Richard Howell. the present managing
 editor of both the Bridgeport and Wa
 terbury Heralds. When Mir Swift
 left for the South. MT. Howell was
 placed in charge of the two papers.
 MT. Swift's death will not affect any