Description
The collection contains many awards; honorary degrees; certificates given to Swig. Also
includes some correspondence with family, friends, famous people including a few letters
with close friends Earl Warren and Edmund G. "Pat" Brown; photographs of Swig at events; and
photocopies of newspaper clippings.
Background
Benjamin Harrison Swig was a real estate entrepreneur and a philanthropist. Born in
Massachusetts, he became a bank treasurer when he was nineteen years old. In the 1920s, he
went into real estate. Following the Great Depression, he specialized in making business
arrangements for department stores. By the 1940s, Swig and his partner, J.D. Weiler, were
among the biggest real estate operators in the U.S. In 1946, Swig settled in San Francisco
and established himself as one of the city's leading businessmen. He invested in the city's
premier hotels, including the Fairmont, and in high-rise developments downtown. Hundreds of
organizations benefited from his generosity. He gave millions of dollars to Jewish,
Catholic, and secular colleges and universities, hospitals, and social service agencies; to
the U.S. military; and to numerous city funds for youth groups, including the Columbia Park
Boys' Club and to Boys' Town in Italy. He was recognized by the pope for his contributions
to Catholic causes. He also contributed to Israeli institutions and was active in Democratic
Party campaigns; was a civilian aide to the secretary of the Sixth U.S. Army, and a
president of the San Francisco Chapter of the U.S. Army Association.
Extent
42 linear feet
(3 cartons, 19 flat boxes)
Restrictions
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U.S.C.). In addition, the reproduction of some materials may be restricted by terms of
University of California gift or purchase agreements, donor restrictions, privacy and
publicity rights, licensing and trademarks. Transmission or reproduction of materials
protected by copyright beyond that allowed by fair use requires the written permission of
the copyright owners. Works not in the public domain cannot be commercially exploited
without permission of the copyright owner. Responsibility for any use rests exclusively with
the user. For additional information about the University of California, Berkeley Library's
permissions policy please see: http://www.lib.berkeley.edu/about/permissions-policies
Availability
Collection is open for research.