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Biography
Luther Merritt Swygert (February 5, 1905 – March 16, 1988) was a United States federal judge.
Born in Miami County, Ohio, Swygert received an LL.B. from Notre Dame Law School in 1927. He was in private practice in Indiana from 1928 to 1931, and was then a deputy prosecuting attorney of Lake County, Indiana from 1931 to 1933. He was an assistant U.S. Attorney of the Northern District of Indiana from 1934 to 1943.
On September 29, 1943, Swygert was nominated by President Franklin D. Roosevelt to a seat on the United States District Court for the Northern District of Indiana vacated by Thomas W. Slick. Swygert was confirmed by the United States Senate on October 14, 1943, and received his commission on October 16, 1943. He served as chief judge from 1954 to 1961.
On September 18, 1961, President John F. Kennedy nominated Swygert for elevation to a new seat on the United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit, created by 75 Stat. 80. Swygert was again confirmed by the United States Senate on September 23, 1961, and received his commission on September 29, 1961. He served as chief judge from 1970 to 1975. He assumed senior status on July 1, 1981 serving in that capacity until his death.