Call Number:

MC283

Repository:

Princeton University Library: Public Policy Papers

Extent:

5 boxes

Language:

English

Preferred Citation:

John L. Swift Papers; 1957-2013 (mostly 1958-1970), Public Policy Papers, Special Collections, Princeton University Library.

Date:

1957-2013 (inclusive) and 1958-1970 (bulk)

Creator:

Swift, John Longworth (1922-2013)

Abstract:

John Longworth Swift (1922-2013) was senior engineer and vice president of the Development and Resources Corporation (D and R). The majority of the collection pertains to Swift's work for D and R, especially his supervision of the Dez Dam project in the Khuzestan region of Iran.

John Longworth Swift (1922-2013) was senior engineer and vice president of the Development and Resources Corporation. Born in London, Swift was brought to the United States by his parents when he was less than one year old. He graduated from Trinity College in Hartford, CT in 1942, afterwards serving in the Air Force during World War II.

In 1948, Swift earned a bachelor's degree in engineering from Yale University. He spent the next fifty years managing and working as an engineer for various civil engineering, environmental research and energy development projects. Prior to working for the Development and Resources Corporation, Swift was a supervising engineer on several major construction projects in the United States and Canada. He then joined the Development and Resources Corporation and lived in the Khuzestan region of Iran from 1958-1963, serving as the project engineer for the organization's Dez Dam project in the city of Andimeshk. Following his work on the Dez Dam, Swift was responsible for supervising the Development and Resources Corporation's engineering and agricultural projects in Nicaragua, Colombia, Uruguay, Guinea, Iran, Afghanistan, and Vietnam.

In 1970, Swift took a position as vice president of GEOMET, an environmental consulting firm in Rockville, MD. From 1982-1985, he was the manager of foreign affiliates for an American electric power systems firm. Swift was an independent consultant for the rest of his career, though he also served as an energy advisor to the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) in Pakistan from 1989-1994.

Swift died in Portland, ME at age 90.

The majority of the collection pertains to Swift's work for the Development and Resources Corporation (D and R). Swift's supervision of the Dez Dam project in the Khuzestan region of Iran is especially well-documented, though the collection also contains records of D and R's domestic projects and projects involving the nations of Vietnam, Nicaragua, Afghanistan, Uruguay and others. The collection consists of Swift's journals, working drafts and published reports, D and R informational brochures, news clippings and magazines (mostly in Farsi), internal D and R correspondence, and external correspondence with the engineering company Impregilo and with various government officials, particularly in Iran. The published reports in the collection were mostly authored or co-authored by D and R, though a small number of reports by other groups related to D and R consulting or development projects are present. Also included are slides depicting the construction of the Dez Dam and the daily life of Swift and his family in the Khuzestan province, along with slides from Swift's travels for D and R postdating the Dez Dam project. In addition to records of D and R's projects, the collection consists of D and R's administrative records from the late 1960s and early 1970s, particularly internal correspondence and notes regarding the general policies and restructuring of D and R.

To a much lesser extent, the collection contains information on Swift's career after his tenure with the Development and Resources Corporation, mainly with the firm GEOMET, and some biographical materials.

Materials remain in their original order as received from the donor.