James L. Swanson (born February 12, 1959)[1][2] is an American author and historian famous for his New York Times best-seller Manhunt: The 12-Day Chase for Lincoln's Killer, focusing on the biography of John Wilkes Booth and his plot to kill Lincoln and other cabinet members.

[3] He is currently a Senior Fellow at the Heritage Foundation[4] and in the past has appeared on C-SPAN on behalf of the Koch-affiliated libertarian CATO Institute think tank.

[5] Swanson graduated from the University of Chicago with a bachelor's degree in history and from the University of California, Los Angeles School of Law with a J.D.

[6] He has held a number of government and think-tank posts in Washington, D.C., including at the United States Department of Justice.

He serves on the advisory council of the Ford's Theatre Society.