James L. Swanson | |
|---|---|
 Swanson in 2018 | |
| Born | February 12, 1959 |
| Education | University of Chicago (A.B.)[1] University of California, Los Angeles (J.D.) |
| Occupation | writer |
James L. Swanson (born February 12, 1959)[1][2] is an American author and historian famous for his New York Times best-seller Manhunt: The 12-Day Chase for Lincoln's Killer, focusing on the biography of John Wilkes Booth and his plot to kill Lincoln and other cabinet members. For this book he earned an Edgar Award.[3] He is currently a Senior Fellow at the Heritage Foundation[4] and in the past has appeared on C-SPAN on behalf of the Koch-affiliated libertarian CATO Institute think tank.[5]
Swanson graduated from the University of Chicago with a bachelor's degree in history and from the University of California, Los Angeles School of Law with a J.D. degree.[6] He has held a number of government and think-tank posts in Washington, D.C., including at the United States Department of Justice. He serves on the advisory council of the Ford's Theatre Society.
Swanson is an Abraham Lincoln scholar and is a member of the Lincoln Bicentennial Commission. His main area of research is on the Lincoln assassination.[7] He has also served in the U.S. Department of Justice.[6]
