Isaac Swayze

Who was Isaac Swayze?

Isaac Swayze was a soldier and political figure in Upper Canada.

He was born in Morris County, New Jersey in 1751 into a family of German immigrants of Jewish extraction. During the American Revolution, according to legend, he served as a secret agent for the British, was arrested, sentenced to death and escaped by exchanging clothes with his wife during a prison visit. In 1783, he was arrested by the British authorities at New York, having been suspected of committed a robbery, and later released, on condition that he leave town.

In 1784, he settled at St. Davids on the Niagara peninsula. He is famous for being the pioneer nurseryman of the Niagara District, having carried trees on his back from New York State to his new homestead at Beaverdams. Swayze created the apple known as the Swayze Pomme Gris.

In 1792, he was elected to the 1st Parliament of Upper Canada representing the 3rd riding of Lincoln. In 1795, he led a protest against the wording used on deeds that some people believed would prevent the sale of their own land. He was charged with sedition and fined. He was elected again in Lincoln County in 1800 after a campaign where he was accused of being a horse thief by his competitors, including Silvester Tiffany, who published his accusations in his newspaper, the Niagara Herald. At this time, Swayze generally supported policies favouring the common folk rather than the rich elite.