Frank A. Swezey, M. D. Biography


	This biography appears on pages 100-103 in "History of Dakota 
	Territory" by George W. Kingsbury, Vol. V (1915) and was 
	scanned, OCRed and edited by Maurice Krueger, mkrueger@iw.net.

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				FRANK A. SWEZEY, M. D. 

	Dr. Frank A. Swezey is engaged in the practice of medicine and 
surgery at Wakonda and has won recognition as an able representative of 
the profession. He was born in Iowa February 19, 1871, and is a son of 
Lewis T. and Emma (Oliver) Swezey, the former born in Rockford, 
Illinois, July 25, 1840, and the latter in Grant county, Wisconsin, 
January 13, 1851. The father settled in western Iowa before the period 
of railroad building in that section of the state and established a 
lumber yard at Newell, there conducting the business until 1887, when 
he sold out and removed to Vermillion, Dakota territory. He purchased 
the old Clay County Bank, reorganized it and continued its management, 
serving as its president, he and Mr. Barrett being the chief 
stockholders. After a time the bank was again reorganized into a 
national bank and Mr. Swezey proved most capable in successfully 
directing the affairs of the institution, which he supervised until his 
death, February 5, 1912. He was also identified with the Bank of 
Wakonda and was one of the prominent and well known financiers of Clay 
county. His political allegiance was given to the republican party and 
he served on the state board of regents for two years, but could never 
be called a politician in the sense of office seeking. His wife passed 
away only a few days before his death. In the family were three 
children, but Dr. Swezey is the only son. His sisters are: Gertrude, 
now the wife of Robert Fox, who is engaged in the real-estate, land and 
loan business in Oklahoma; and Bernice, who is a graduate of the State 
University at Vermillion and is now engaged in teaching. 

	Dr. Swezey spent the first sixteen years of his life in his 
native state and then accompanied his parents to Dakota territory, 
where he continued his education, begun in the public schools of Iowa, 
in the State University at Vermillion. His professional course × as 
pursued in Rush Medical College of Chicago, from which he was graduated 
in 1894. He at once located in Wakonda, where he established an office 
and has carried on practice as both a physician and surgeon. At the 
same time he has conducted other business interests of importance. He 
is a stockholder and one of the directors of the Vermillion National 
Bank, is the vice president and a stockholder of the Bank of Wakonda 
and is the owner of several farms in Clay county, which are well 
improved and highly cultivated. He has a model farm located two miles 
from Wakonda . 

	In 1905 Dr. Swezey was united in marriage to Miss Antonia 
Huelsman, a native of Iowa and a daughter of John Huelsman. They are 
the parents of one son, Lewis. Dr. Swezey exercises his right of 
franchise in support of the men and measures of the republican party, 
but the honors and emoluments of office have no attraction for him. He 
is well known in fraternal circles, however, having passed through all 
of the chairs in the Odd Fellows lodge, while in Masonry he has 
attained the thirty-second degree of the Scottish Rite. For twenty 
eight years he has been a resident of Clay county and throughout the 
entire period has borne his part in the work of public progress and 
improvement, supporting all measures which have had for their object 
the benefit and welfare of the community.