Elinor Swanson

Elinor Swanson
Elinor Swanson Campaign Photo by Denette Jacobson of Country Lovely Photography in Billings, Montana
Personal Details
Birth:	(1982-01-27) January 27, 1982 Morgantown, West Virginia
Occupation:	Attorney
Party:	Libertarian Party
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Elinor Alden Swanson (born January 27, 1982) is an American wife, mother of four children, and attorney in Billings, Montana. She is a Libertarian candidate for U.S. House of Representatives in the 2018 Montana elections.

Early life and career

Elinor Swanson ("Ellie") was born on January 27, 1982, in Morgantown, West Virginia, the daughter of Bonita Marie Swanson ("Bonnie") (maiden name Buchwach), who was a medical doctor specializing in family practice, a marathoner and marathon organizer, and homemaker, and David Ernest Swanson, a medical doctor specializing in ophthalmology. Swanson graduated from A.J. Dimond High School in Anchorage, Alaska, in 2000. She attended Pomona College from 2000 to 2004, where she was Pomona Scholar and a member of the Psi Chi Honor Society, and graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in psychology. She then attended Bryn Mawr Postbaccalaureate Premedical Program from 2004 to 2005, and attended University of Colorado School of Medicine from 2006 to 2007, where she volunteered at a low-income pediatric clinic and received a Honors Letter for Ethics in the Health Professions. It was there that she met her future husband, Daniel Eugene Wedge, who took Elinor Swanson's last name when they were wed.

Elinor and Daniel Swanson had their first child in 2009. In 2010, Daniel Swanson began his medical residency in Urology and Elinor Swanson began law school at Lewis & Clark Law School in Portland, Oregon, in the school's part-time, four-year track. In law school, Elinor Swanson received a Dean's Scholarship for Excellence, became a Lead Articles Editor of Lewis & Clark Law Review, and received an Honors Award for Pro Bono and Community Service. She was an intern at the Multnomah County Attorney's Office, with federal magistrate judge Paul Papak at the U.S. District Court of Oregon, at the Lewis & Clark Small Business Legal Clinic, at the Lewis & Clark Legal Clinic for low-income clients, and at Chernoff Vilhauer LLP. During her time in law school, she became a Libertarian. Also during law school, Swanson had her second child and two miscarriages. She was pregnant during her final year, and had her third child in August of 2014, several weeks after sitting for the bar exam. In fall of 2014, Elinor Swanson's law article, "A Textualist Approach to Title VII: Aggrieved Individuals May Bypass the EEOC," was accepted for publication in Hofstra Labor & Employment Law Journal. It was published in spring of 2015.

Elinor and Daniel Swanson moved to Billings, Montana, in the summer of 2015, after Daniel Swanson received a job offer at Billings Clinic. Elinor Swanson began working for Paul Warren Law, PLLC, shortly thereafter. The firm name became Warren & Swanson, PLLC, the following year. She had her fourth child in October of 2017. Elinor Swanson began her campaign for U.S. Congress in February of 2018.