William Moseley Swain was an American journalist and businessman.

He was one of the founders and proprietors of the Philadelphia Public Ledger

Public Ledger (Philadelphia)

The Public Ledger was a daily newspaper in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania published from March 25, 1836 to January 1942. Its motto was "Virtue Liberty and Independence". For a time, it was Philadelphia's most popular newspaper, but circulation declined in the mid-1930s.-Early history:Founded by William...

and also served as editor. The paper was the first daily to establish a pony express

Pony Express

The Pony Express was a fast mail service crossing the Great Plains, the Rocky Mountains, and the High Sierra from St. Joseph, Missouri, to Sacramento, California, from April 3, 1860 to October 1861...

, and one of the first to use the telegraph. In 1847, it was printed on the first rotary press ever built.

In May 1845, he was one of the incorporators of the pioneering Magnetic Telegraph Company, and from 1850 its president. In this company, he was an associate of the inventor, Samuel F. B. Morse

Samuel F. B. Morse

Samuel Finley Breese Morse was an American contributor to the invention of a single-wire telegraph system based on European telegraphs, co-inventor of the Morse code, and an accomplished painter.-Birth and education:...

, and the chief promoter, Amos Kendall

Amos Kendall

Amos Kendall was an American politician who served as U.S. Postmaster General under Andrew Jackson and Martin Van Buren. Many historians regard Kendall as the intellectual force behind Andrew Jackson's presidential administration, and an influential figure in the transformation of America from an...

, another former newspaperman.

Swain was buried in The Woodlands Cemetery.

External links

• Brief biography and genealogical information