John Edward Swain was born in Democrat (Buncombe County), North Carolina on September 26, 1876. Swain was a lawyer who served as attorney for Buncombe County (1912-1914), as solicitor of the state's 19th judicial district (1914-1918 & 1922-1926), as clerk of the superior court in Buncombe County (1934-1957), and as judge of the Buncombe County probate court (1934-1957). He died in Asheville on July 3, 1957.