John Swallow

John Swallow (born November 10, 1962) is an American lawyer and politician who served as Attorney General of Utah.

Just prior to serving as attorney general, he served as Chief Deputy Attorney General overseeing all civil litigation for the state of Utah.

In 1985, Swallow married Suzanne Seader; after his graduation they moved to Sandy, a suburb of Salt Lake City.

They have five children.

Swallow has been a lawyer since 1990 and was a member of the Utah State House of Representatives from 1996 to 2002.

In 1996, after working as a law firm partner for several years, Swallow successfully ran for the Utah House of Representatives for a district based in Sandy and continued serving as a State Representative for six consecutive years.

While in the legislature, Swallow was named one of the most effective lawmakers by the Deseret News and sponsored the then-largest tax cut in Utah's history and was named Taxpayer Advocate of the Year by the Utah Taxpayers Association for sponsoring and passing legislation to reduce taxes in Utah.

The district had been located entirely within Salt Lake County, but redistricting after the 2000 census pushed it into a large swath of rural territory in southern Utah, where Swallow had lived as a boy.

The national party spent very little money on Swallow's behalf, but “in spite of little assistance from outside groups and parties and with serious financial constraints, Swallow was able to wage a very competitive campaign.” Ultimately, Swallow lost to Matheson by a margin of only 1,600 votes, largely because he could not overcome a 25,800-vote deficit in Salt Lake County.

Swallow gave up his state house seat in 2002 to run for Utah's 2nd congressional district against freshman Democrat Jim Matheson.

In December 2009, John Swallow was appointed Chief Deputy Attorney General for Utah.

While serving as Chief Deputy, some of his most prominent projects included the fights to overturn the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act and to gain state control of Utah's federally controlled lands.

In 2009, Swallow was appointed as the Chief Deputy Attorney General of Utah over seven civil divisions.

A major focus was the state lawsuit to overturn U.S. President Obama's healthcare law.

Swallow also sued Barack Obama and Interior Secretary Ken Salazar to unlock federal land within Utah for oil and gas exploration, and to help fund education for Utah children.

In November 2012, Swallow easily won the election for Utah Attorney General by a 64 to 30 percent margin.

Before July 2012, he had also served as a Bishop in the Church.

He earned an undergraduate degree in Psychology and then a J.D. degree from Brigham Young University J. Reuben Clark Law School, where he was a member of the Law Review.

Swallow announced his candidacy for Attorney General in January 2012.

During his race, he was endorsed by his predecessor, Attorney General Mark Shurtleff and U.S. Senator Mike Lee.

Swallow was also endorsed in his candidacy by the NRA and received an "A+" rating from the 2nd Amendment organization, because of "his dedication to gun owners," and "his defense of the second amendment."

In November 2013, following federal and state investigations into alleged improprieties, Swallow resigned, after less than a year in office, while proclaiming his innocence and denying all wrongdoing.

Swallow was elected and sworn on January 7, 2013.

In January 2013, the United States Department of Justice and FBI investigated Swallow's role in an alleged scheme to help indicted businessman Jeremy Johnson avoid a lawsuit by the FTC.

According to Johnson, who was indicted for mail-fraud charges related to his internet business iWorks, Swallow attempted to broker a deal to bribe Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid with $600,000 through lobbyist Richard Rawle.

In May 2013, Marc Sessions Jenson (who was convicted in 2008 of defrauding millions from investors) turned receipts over to the FBI, claiming to show that in 2009 he gave Swallow free meals, massages, golf outings and rooms at a gated Newport Beach villa.

At the time, Swallow was a private lawyer and not a public official; thus, there was no improper receipt of benefits.

In September 2013, the United States Department of Justice closed its investigation and gave notice that they would not file charges.

Swallow and his predecessor, Mark Shurtleff, were arrested in July 2014 on corruption charges.

In March 2017, a jury acquitted Swallow of all charges.

Thereafter, following an extensive review of all evidence in all investigations and according to a letter dated July 16, 2017, the Utah State Bar absolved John Swallow of any ethical violations.

In September 2019, the Utah State Legislature, by nearly-unanimous votes, approved a $1.5 million damages payment, reimbursing Swallow for his legal fees.

Thereafter a licensed private investigator asserted publicly that all investigations of John Swallow's conduct had been orchestrated by politicians who benefitted from the false allegations.

John Swallow was born in San Gabriel, California and moved to St. George, Utah when he was five years old.

Four years later, his father left the family and later the family was informed that he had died.

When his father left, the family moved to live with his maternal grandparents in Juneau, Alaska for three years.

When John was 13, his mother married Richard Swallow, and John and his siblings were adopted into the Swallow family when John was 16.

Richard Swallow was a farmer in Spring Valley, Nevada, in an area of what is now Great Basin National Park.

John and his brothers worked on the alfalfa farm in the summers and attended White Pine High School.

Swallow served a Spanish-speaking mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Los Angeles, California.