James L. Swanson

American author, historian, and legal scholar James L. Swanson died of natural causes on April 21, 2025. He was residing in Naperville, Illinois, at the time of his death. He was 66 years old.
James was born the first of two children to Lennart J. Swanson and Dianne M. Swanson (née Kosloff) on Feb. 12, 1959, in Chicago. The family made their home in the northside community of Norwood Park, where James completed elementary and middle school at nearby Our Savior Lutheran. He graduated from Luther North High School in Chicago in 1977. After receiving his diploma, James attended the University of Chicago, where he was appointed to a Historic Deerfield (Massachusetts) Fellowship in Early American History (1980), graduating with an honors degree in history the following year. He subsequently attended the University of California Los Angeles School of Law, graduating in 1986 and thereafter becoming licensed in the state of Illinois.
In the same year, he relocated to Washington, DC, where he began his career in public service, serving as legal advisor to the chairman of the U.S. International Trade Commission (1986) and as law clerk for Judge Douglas H. Ginsburg at the U.S. Court of Appeals DC Circuit (1986-87) before being appointed by Pres. Ronald Reagan to the position of special assistant in the Office of Legal Counsel at the U.S. Department of Justice (1987-88). He was later appointed by the U.S. Senate to serve as a federal commissioner for the U.S. Semiquincentennial Commission (2016-2025) and by Pres. Donald J. Trump to serve as associate deputy attorney general for the Department of Justice (2017-18). He subsequently served as senior advisor to the chairman of the National Endowment for the Humanities (2020-21).
James also held a series of think-tank and public-policy posts, including serving as senior fellow in constitutional studies and founding editor-in-chief of the Cato Supreme Court Review at the Cato Institute (2001-03). In 2003, he was appointed by former U.S. Attorney General Edwin Meese to serve as senior legal scholar for the Heritage Foundation and was later appointed to the executive leadership committee of the Free Speech & Election Law Practice Group for the Federalist Society (2017-25).
Born on Abraham Lincoln's birthday, James was an avid collector of Lincoln memorabilia and a prominent Lincoln scholar, serving as a member of the advisory committee on the Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Commission and holding various nonprofit service and fundraising positions, including serving as an advisory council member of the Ford's Theatre Society (2006-25) and a historians council member for the Gettysburg Foundation (2012-25). He won an Edgar Award for his first book, Manhunt: The 12-Day Chase for Lincoln's Killer (2006), which became a New York Times bestseller and was later adapted into the Apple TV+ television miniseries Manhunt (2024), starring Tobias Menzies and Patton Oswalt, for which he served as executive producer. He thereafter continued to publish historical nonfiction books for both adults and young adults, including: Chasing Lincoln's Killer (2009); Bloody Crimes: The Chase for Jefferson Davis and the Death Pageant for Lincoln's Corpse (2010); Bloody Times: The Funeral of Abraham Lincoln and the Manhunt for Jefferson Davis (2010); End of Days: The Assassination of John F. Kennedy (2013); The President Has Been Shot! The Assassination of John F. Kennedy (2013); Chasing King's Killer: The Hunt for Martin Luther King, Jr.'s Assassin (2018); and The Deerfield Massacre: A Surprise Attack, a Forced March, and the Fight for Survival in Early America (2024).
An experienced speechwriter, communicator, and public speaker, James wrote and delivered more than 200 speeches for political and private events before the president of the United States, Members of the U.S. Congress, Supreme Court of the United States, Senate and House of Representatives chiefs of staff, Library of Congress, and National Archives. He published more than 200 feature articles, reviews, and op-eds in some of the nation's leading publications, including American Heritage, Chicago Sun-Times, Chicago Tribune, Los Angeles Times, USA Today, Wall Street Journal, and Washington Times. James appeared on hundreds of television programs to discuss presidential history and politics for prominent networks, such as ABC, CBS, C-SPAN, Fox News, NBC, and PBS. He was also interviewed on more than 500 radio shows, including NPR and the Laura Ingraham Show.
James married Jeannette Nolen-Swanson on July 26, 2023, in Washington, DC. The couple thereafter maintained residences on Capitol Hill and in neighboring Virginia as well as suburban Chicago.
He is survived by his wife, Jeannette; sister Denise Swanson of Dedham, MA; and nieces, Nicole and Samantha. James was preceded in death by his parents, Lennart and Dianne.
For those who would like to leave a lasting tribute to James's life, memorial donations may be directed to St. Matthew Lutheran Church in Lemont.
Memorial services will be held at a later date. Please contact the family representative, Joseph A. Morris, at MDLRusuk@aol.com or (312)927-4680 for details. Interment will be at the family's private cemetery in Virginia.
Friedrich-Jones Funeral Home & Cremation Services, Naperville, was entrusted with arrangements.