SALT LAKE CITY – Former NCUA board member Robert Swan, who sued the president in an attempt to remain in office, has died.
Swan, 71, died from complications from a stroke he suffered Tuesday.
Swan, who served on the NCUA board from 1990-96, had served as CEO of Tooele FCU in Utah prior to joining the agency. He has been a fixture at credit union conferences since leaving NCUA, working as a consultant to the Utah CU League and for numerous credit unions.
He also served on the Toole city council and as the mayor of Tooele from 1970 to 1974, and later served as deputy director for finance for the state of Utah under Gov. Scott Matheson.
But it was his departure from NCUA for which he may best be remembered.
A Democrat appointed by President George Bush, Swan defied several requests from the Clinton White House that he step down at the end of his term to make room for a successor. Eventually, he was dismissed by President Clinton to create a vacancy on the three-member board in order to make room for the recess appointment of Yolanda Wheat.
Swan then sued the president, claiming because NCUA is an independent federal agency, the president does not have the authority to remove sitting board members. A federal court quickly overruled Swan and told him he must leave.
