Jane Swift

Jane Maria Swift (February 24, 1965- ) is a Republican politician from western Massachusetts, and was Governor from 2001-2003.

Jane Swift was born in 1965. From an Irish-Italian political family in the Connecticut Valley, she learned politics on the knee of her father who was active in the Republican party in town, county, and state government. She graduated from Trinity College inHartford, Connecticut in 1987. While tarred with the slander of being a token female in the state Republican party structure, she still managed to make exasperating political misteps while in the Governor's office. Among these were 1) espousing family values while marrying a building a twice-married building contractor who was not careful about his divorce paperwork, 2) promising to clean up state politics and rid it of moneyed interests while accepting a corporate brokered apartment close to Beacon Hill, and 3) claiming a kinship with working mothers while tasking her extensive personal staff with baby-sitting duties.

Swift was elected Lieutenant Governor in 1998 and became Acting Governor in 2001 upon the selection of Paul Cellucci as Ambassador to Canada. Most of her genuine efforts at political reform were stymied by these misteps and the combined efforts of then Senate President William Bulger (brother of mobster and fugitive James "Whitey" Bulger) and Speaker Thomas Finneran.

Preceded by: Paul Cellucci

Governor of Massachusetts

Succeeded by: >Mitt Romney