Sir Conrad Marshall John Fisher Swan, KCVO, KGCN, FSA, FRHSC (born 1924) was a long-serving officer of arms at the College of Arms in London. Having been first appointed to work at the College in 1962, he rose to the office of Garter Principal King of Arms in 1992. Swan was also the first Canadian ever to be appointed to the College of Arms.
Conrad Swan was born in 1924 in British Columbia, Canada. His father was descended from the old Polish noble family of Święcicki, (Coat of arms of Jastrzębiec). After emigrating to Canada in 1884 the family changed the name to Swan. He devoted much of his life to travelling. Having decided to make a lifetime career in the Indian Army, Swan was sent by the India Office (the UK governmental office responsible for India at the time) to the school of Oriental and African Studies, University of London. Having completed the course there, he proceeded to India and was commissioned and appointed to the Madras Regiment (the oldest in the country). Indian Independence (1947) caused him to make other decisions "it being the end of a chapter". Upon retirement from the Indian Army, he went directly back to Canada to take a BA and MA at the University of Western Ontario (Assumption College). During this time, he developed a keen interest in Commonwealth affairs, which brought him back to Britain, where he acquired his doctorate from Cambridge University in 1955.
Swan spent six years (1955-1961) lecturing in History at the Assumption University of Windsor, Ontario of which he was also University Beadle. As guest lecturer he has visited many universities, not only in North America but in fact in every continent except Antarctica, "the penguins haven't invited me yet".
In addition to his educational achievements, Conrad Swan developed an exceptional heraldic career. He was first appointed Rouge Dragon Pursuivant of Arms in Ordinary in 1962 and six years later became York Herald of Arms in Ordinary. In these capacities he was among the Earl Marshal’s staff for the State Funeral of Sir Winston Churchill in 1965, the Investiture of The Prince of Wales in 1969, and was Gentleman Usher-in-Waiting to Pope John Paul II during his visit to the United Kingdom in 1982.
Swan was appointed Garter Principal King of Arms in 1992 on the retirement of Sir Alexander Colin Cole. His own retirement came in 1995, after having been diagnosed with cancer.
Sir Conrad Swan was the first herald to execute official duties in-tabard across the Atlantic Ocean and in the southern hemisphere. He did so in Bermuda in 1969 and in Brisbane in 1977. He was instrumental in the creation of the Honours System of Antigua and Barbuda, and between 1964 and 1967, Swan was an adviser to the Prime Minister of Canada on the establishment of the National Flag of Canada and the Order of Canada. Swan also took a special interest in Saskatchewan, helping the province obtain a full coat of arms from the Queen in 1986 and a new Great Seal in 1991. He advised the province on the establishment of the Saskatchewan Order of Merit in 1985 and the Saskatchewan Volunteer Medal in 1995 and the recent expansion of the provincial honours system (notably the Commemorative Medal for the Centennial of Saskatchewan).
A keen scholar and publicist, Sir Conrad Swan has written a number of books and articles on heraldic, sigillographic and related subjects. He is a member of several international societies and organisations and was a founder of the Royal Heraldry Society of Canada and the Heraldic Garden in Britain. He is also the Patron of the Society's Toronto Branch since the summer of 2005.
Honours and appointments
- Coronation Medal of the King of Tonga, 2008,
- Commemorative Medal for the Centennial of Saskatchewan, 2005,
- Patron, Toronto Branch, Royal Heraldry Society of Canada, 2005,
- Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Nation (Antigua and Barbuda), 2003,
- Knight's Cross of the Order of the Grand Duke Gediminas (Lithuania), 2002
- Knight Grand Cross of Justice of the Sacred Military Constantinian Order of Saint George, 2001,
- Grand Cross with Grand Collar of the Imperial Order of the Holy Trinity (Ethiopia); 2000,
- Knight Principal of the Imperial Society of Knights Bachelor (1995-2000),
- Cross of Commander of the Order of Merit of the Republic of Poland, 1995,
- Commander (with Star) of the Royal Norwegian Order of Merit, 1995,
- Knight Commander of the Royal Victorian Order, 1994,
- Knight Grand Cross of the Royal Order of the Intare (Lion) of Rwanda, 1994,
- Master of the Worshipful Company of Gunmakers of the City of London, 1993,
- Knight of Honour and Devotion of the Order of Malta, 1979,
- Knight of the Most Venerable Order of St. John of Jerusalem, 1976,
- Fellow, Royal Heraldry Society of Canada, 1975,
- Fellow of the Society of Aniquaries of London, 1971.
Family
In 1957 Conrad Swan married Lady Hilda Susan Mary Northcote (b. 23 July 1937 - d. 4 December 1995), Serving Sister Most Venerable Order of St. John, Dame of Honour and Devotion Sovereign Military Order of Malta; Dame of Justice (SMO) of Constantine St. George; and President, St. John's Ambulance Society Suffolk. Hilda was the younger daughter of Henry Stafford Northcote, the 3rd Earl of Iddesleigh, and granddaughter of author Marie Adelaide Belloc Lowndes.
Lady Hilda died in Boxford, Suffolk, when she was struck by a car, which did not stop. The incident was recorded as a "hit and run". She was 58 years old.
They had five children:
- Mary Elizabeth Magdalen Swan (b. 1959)
- Hilda Juliana Mary Swan (b. 1961)
- Catherine Sylveria Mary Swan (b. 1962)
- Andrew Conrad Henry Joseph Swan (b. 1964)
- Anastasia Cecilia Mary Swan (b. 1966)
Published works
- Canada: Symbols of Sovereignty, University of Toronto Press, 1977, ISBN 978-0802053466
- A King from Canada (autobiography), 2005, ISBN 978-1841040721
- The Royal Encyclopedia (48 articles), Macmillan Press, 1991, ISBN 0-333-53810-2