Born in Detroit, Michigan, Swan read law to enter the bar in 1867.

He was an Assistant United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Michigan from 1870 to 1877, thereafter returning to private practice in Detroit from 1877 to 1891.

He was a non-resident lecturer on admiralty at the University of Michigan Law School from 1893 to 1911.

[1] On January 13, 1891, Swan was nominated by President Benjamin Harrison to a seat on the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan vacated by Judge Henry Billings Brown.

Swan was confirmed by the United States Senate on January 19, 1891, and received his commission the same day, serving in that capacity until his retirement on July 1, 1911.