William Swan Garvin

{{For|the Medal of Honor winner|William Garvin (Medal of Honor)}}

{{Infobox officeholder

| honorific-prefix =

| name = William Swan Garvin

| honorific-suffix =

| image =

| alt =

| state = Pennsylvania

| district = 22nd

| term_start = March 4, 1845

| term_end = March 3, 1847

| preceded = Samuel Hays

| succeeded = John Wilson Farrelly

| birth_date = {{Birth date |1806|7|25}}

| birth_place = Mercer, Pennsylvania

| death_date = {{Death date and age|1883|2|20|1806|7|25}}

| death_place =

| restingplace = Mercer Citizens’ Cemetery, Mercer, Pennsylvania

| restingplacecoordinates =

| birthname =

| citizenship =

| nationality =

| party = Jacksonian

| committees = House Committee on Expenditures on Public Buildings

| otherparty = Democratic

| occupation = Newspaper proprietor, postmaster, flour inspector

}}

William Swan Garvin (July 25, 1806 – February 20, 1883) was a western Pennsylvania newspaper proprietor who is most widely known for his term as a Jacksonian and Democratic member of the U.S. House of Representatives.{{cite book| chapter-url= https://books.google.com/books?id=EB4VAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA217| pages= 217–218 | chapter= Ch. XIV: The Press | title= A Twentieth Century History of Mercer County, Pennsylvania | first= John G. |last=White | year= 1909 | publisher= Lewis Publishing Company}}"[https://bioguide.congress.gov/search/bio/G000089 Garvin, William Swan]" (CongBio|G000089). Washington, D.C.: Biographical Directory of the United States Congress, retrieved online September 8, 2024.

Early years

Garvin was born in Mercer, Pennsylvania on July 25, 1806. At the age of thirteen, he became an apprentice for Mercer County's Western Press, a Democratic newspaper.{{cite book| chapter-url= https://books.google.com/books?id=EB4VAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA217| pages= 217–218 | chapter= Ch. XIV: The Press | title= A Twentieth Century History of Mercer County, Pennsylvania | first= John G. |last=White | year= 1909 | publisher= Lewis Publishing Company}}"Garvin, William Swan" (CongBio|G000089), Biographical Directory of the United States Congress."William S. Garvin," in "[https://www.newspapers.com/image/814236710 Personal]." Lancaster, Pennsylvania: Lancaster Daily Intelligencer, February 21, 1882, p. 2 (subscription required).

Career

After journeying as a newspaper printer, he returned to the Western Press as its proprietor in 1830. He held that position off and on for the rest of his life.{{cite book| chapter-url= https://books.google.com/books?id=EB4VAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA217| pages= 217–218 | chapter= Ch. XIV: The Press | title= A Twentieth Century History of Mercer County, Pennsylvania | first= John G. |last=White | year= 1909 | publisher= Lewis Publishing Company}}"[https://www.newspapers.com/image/52209116 Two Old Editors Gone]." Philadelphia, Pennsylvania: The Philadelphia Times, February 21, 1882, p. 2 (subscription required)."William S. Garvin," in "Personal," Lancaster Daily Intelligencer, February 21, 1882, p. 2.

Garvin was postmaster of Mercer from 1837 to 1841.{{cite book| chapter-url= https://books.google.com/books?id=EB4VAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA217| pages= 217–218 | chapter= Ch. XIV: The Press | title= A Twentieth Century History of Mercer County, Pennsylvania | first= John G. |last=White | year= 1909 | publisher= Lewis Publishing Company}}

Garvin was elected as a Democrat to the Twenty-ninth Congress. He served as chairman of the United States House Committee on Expenditures on Public Buildings during that session.{{cite book| chapter-url= https://books.google.com/books?id=EB4VAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA217| pages= 217–218 | chapter= Ch. XIV: The Press | title= A Twentieth Century History of Mercer County, Pennsylvania | first= John G. |last=White | year= 1909 | publisher= Lewis Publishing Company}}"Garvin, William Swan" (CongBio|G000089), Biographical Directory of the United States Congress."[https://www.newspapers.com/image/511605176/ Members of Congress Elected]." Sunbury, Pennsylvania: The Sunbury American, October 17, 1844, p. 2."William S. Garvin," in "Personal," Lancaster Daily Intelligencer, February 21, 1882, p. 2.

He also served as a flour inspector in Pittsburgh during the early 1850s,"[https://www.newspapers.com/image/86643527 The Flour Inspector]." Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania: The Pittsburgh Post, April 15, 1852, p. 2 (subscription required). and was again appointed postmaster of Mercer in 1867 and served until 1869.{{cite book| chapter-url= https://books.google.com/books?id=EB4VAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA217| pages= 217–218 | chapter= Ch. XIV: The Press | title= A Twentieth Century History of Mercer County, Pennsylvania | first= John G. |last=White | year= 1909 | publisher= Lewis Publishing Company}}

Death and interment

Garvin died on February 20, 1883, and was buried in the Mercer Citizens’ Cemetery.{{cite book| chapter-url= https://books.google.com/books?id=EB4VAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA217| pages= 217–218 | chapter= Ch. XIV: The Press | title= A Twentieth Century History of Mercer County, Pennsylvania | first= John G. |last=White | year= 1909 | publisher= Lewis Publishing Company}}"Garvin, William Swan" (CongBio|G000089), Biographical Directory of the United States Congress."William S. Garvin," in "Personal," Lancaster Daily Intelligencer, February 21, 1882, p. 2.