George Swift was born in Boston in 1848. At the tender age of 13 he enlisted as a drummer boy for Fort Snelling. during the Civil War he marched through Georgia with General Sherman. Swift’s drug store, erected in 1889, stood at 4157 WestBroadway. In 1893 it had the first telephone in town. Swift also served as the Robbinsdale’s Postmaster when Republicans were in office. When Democrats won elections, Lars Nasset was the Postmaster. In the 1890’s Swift served as Robbinsdale’s Village Treasurer. In 1905 he became the first master of the Compass Lodge 265 A.F. & A.M. In 1908 Swift became the director of the Robbinsdale Military Band. He retired in 1914 and sold the drug store to William Mueller. After a full and patriotic life, George Swift died in 1936 at the ripe old age of 88.
