Lawrence M. Glazer

Lawrence M. Glazer has served as an assistant Michigan Attorney General, as chief legal adviser to Michigan governor James Blanchard, and as a State Circuit Judge.

Wounded Warrior: The Rise and Fall of Michigan Governor John Swainson

Lawrence M. Glazer

WINNER: Michigan Notable Book Award 2011
WINNER: IPPY Gold Medal-Biography 2011

Few people today remember John Swainson. As a teenage soldier he lost both legs in a WWII landmine explosion. Back in the United States, following a meteoric political rise in the Michigan State Senate, Swainson was elected as Michigan’s youngest governor since Stevens T. Mason.

In 1970 Swainson was elected to the Michigan Supreme Court, becoming one of the few public officials to have served in the legislative, executive, and judicial branches of state government. Then, in 1975, he was indicted on federal charges of bribery and perjury, and convicted of lying to a federal grand jury. Forced to leave the state Supreme Court and disbarred from practicing law, he became a pariah, sinking into depression and alcoholism. He virtually disappeared from public view.

Lawrence Glazer re-examines the FBI's investigation of Swainson and delves into his 1975 trial in detail. He reveals new information from eyewitnesses who never testified and, in a poignant coda, relates the little-known story of Swainson’s rehabilitation and return to public life as a historian.

Reviews

"Glazer, a former circuit judge and assistant attorney general, interviewed new witnesses who said Swainson scoured through his appointment calendars and other documents after his initial grand jury appearance and before he returned to the grand jury to correct his testimony two days later. The author points to Swainson's concern about the accuracy of his testimony as evidence he never intentionally lied and was not guilty of perjury." - The Detroit News

"In the book, Glazer follows Swainson from his humble upbringing through his World War II combat experiences — including the loss of his legs in a land mine explosion on a French battlefield — to what can only be called his meteoric rise in politics. Glazer has opened a window into a fascinating but seemingly flawed politician...."- The Lansing City Pulse, November 10, 2010

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Read the DOME MAGAZINE interview with author Lawrence Glazer B&W photos, notes, bibliography, index world rights 316 pp., 6.00" x 9.00", October 2010 Cloth, $39.95, 0-87013-971-1 978-0-87013-971-0