Triumphs and Troubles of Theodore Swann, The

The Triumphs and Troubles of Theodore Swann. By Edward Griffith and Carolyn Green Satterfield. Montgomery: Black Belt Press, 1999. 128 pp. $15.95 (paper). ISBN 1-880216-57-4.

Theodore Swann qualifies as a noteworthy Alabama capitalist who experienced both boom and bust as a result of his entrepreneurial endeavors. As president of the Federal Phosphorus Company, the Federal Fertilizer Company, Federal Abrasive, and numerous allied companies, he patented the electric-furnace method for producing a concentrated and pure form of phosphoric acid. Surrounding himself with brilliant minds, Swann encouraged his engineers to experiment with creative and innovative techniques to generate more efficient methods of production. Gaining respect from both the business community and the chemical industry, he lived up to his motto: "To Find A Better Way" (p. 116).

In this brief biography of Swann coauthors Edward Griffith and Carolyn Green Satterfield seek "to preserve the wonder of Theodore Swann by chronicling his triumphs and his troubles" (p. 11). Organizing their work chronologically, they trace his path to success. After beginning as an electrical contractor and as a locomotive salesman for Westinghouse, Swann became president of the West Virginia Light and Traction Company. In 1913, at age twenty-seven, he accepted a management position in the commercial sales department of Alabama Power Company. Commissioned by Alabama Power to expand electrification to the rural south-- eastern United States, Swann also became vice-president of two subsidiaries-Anniston Steel Company and Anniston Ordnance Company. During World War I he founded the Southern Manganese Corporation, using electric furnaces to produce ferromanganese for Birmingham's steel industry. Adjusting to a postwar decline in demand, Swann modified his Anniston-based ferrophosphorus operations. By a stroke of good fortune, innovations spawned by environmental hazards resulted in production of the purest form of phosphoric acid-the primary substance used in baking powder and soft drinks. This process, which Swann described in a speech to the American Chemical Society and outlined in the Journal of Industrial and Engineering Chemistry in 1922, netted him three honorary doctorates. In addition, Swann's enterprises developed a method for converting benzene to biphenyl, a heat transfer medium essential to numerous safety and health products. The Great Depression and Franklin Roosevelt's New Deal reversed Swann's story of success, however. National Recovery Administration legislation prompted Swann to sell his chemical interests to Monsanto in 1935, and subsequent reforms forced him into bankruptcy by 1945. Even so, Swann continued to pursue innovative methods of producing antibiotics, menthol, cellophane, saccharin, and Benzedrine.

Effective in relating Swann's successes and failures, The Triumphs and Troubles of Theodore Swann uses a number of vignettes to illustrate his business acumen. Swann's experiences in selling locomotives provide insight into his keen business sense, his initiative in negotiating a deal, and his skill in closing a transaction. His manipulation of a minimal workforce to portray extensive production capabilities and thereby gain financial support from northeastern bankers piques the reader's interest as well. On the other hand, several accounts detract from the overall thesis. Details of Swann's genealogy and accounts of his early schooling come at the beginning of the chronological sequence, but these facts contribute little to the prevailing theme. Descriptions of Swann's opulent homes-Swann Castle and the River House-and details of his daughters' weddings read more like a newspaper society page than serious history. The sports enthusiast will appreciate the synopsis of the University of Alabama's Rose Bowl games of 1926, 1927, and 1931, but its relevance is tenuous. Finally, the careful reader will note the duplication of a superscript (no. 24) at the beginning of chapter 2 that causes a one-citation discrepancy in the footnotes until its serendipitous correction at the end of chapter 9 (no. 165).

Nevertheless, this biography of Theodore Swann holds something of interest for everyone. By no means a definitive history, its strength lies in its examination of the phosphate industry. Consequently, this relatively brief work should spark further research by historians of technology into the production and use of phosphates and the history of Alabama's chemical industry.

JAMES SANDERS DAY

University of Montevallo

Copyright University of Alabama Press Jan 2002
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