Jonathan Swift was born in Dublin in 1667 to Protestant parents. He was sent to England as a child after his father's death and later attended school in Ireland. As a clergyman in the Anglican church, Swift held positions in London and Ireland and befriended several prominent political figures. He is best known for his satirical works such as Gulliver's Travels and A Modest Proposal, which criticized politics and society in his time. Swift never married but had close relationships with Esther Johnson and Hester Vanhomrigh. He died in Dublin in 1745 while serving as the Dean of St. Patrick's Cathedral.

1. By: Pilar Jewell

2.  Jonathan Swift was born in Dublin. His
father, Jonathan Swift Sr., a lawyer and an
English civil servant, died seven month's
before his son was born. Abigail Erick, Swift's
mother, was left without private income to
support her family.
 Swift was taken or "stolen" to England by his
nurse, and at the age of four he was sent
back to Ireland. Swift's mother returned to
England, and she left her son to her wealthy
brother-in-law, Uncle Godwin.

3.  Swift studied at Kilkenny Grammar School
(1674-82), Trinity College in Dublin (1682-
89), receiving his B.A. in 1686 and M.A. in
1692. At school Swift was not a very good
good student and his teachers noted his
headstrong behavior. When the anti-Catholic
Revolution of the year 1688 aroused reaction
in Ireland, Swift moved to England
 In 1695 Swift was ordained in the Church of
Ireland (Anglican), Dublin

4.  Between the years 1707 and 1709 Swift was an emissary
for the Irish clergy in London. Swift contributed to the
'Bickerstaff Papers' and to the Tattler in 1708-09. He was a
cofounder of the Scriblerus Club, which included such
member as Pope, Gay, Congreve, and Robert Harley, 1st
Earl of Oxford.
 In 1710 Swift tried to open a political career among Whigs
but changed his party and took over the Tory journal The
Examiner
 From 1713 to 1742 Swift was the dean of St. Patrick's
Cathedral. It is thought that Swift suffered from Ménière's
disease or Alzheimer's disease. Many considered him insane
- however, from the beginning of his twentieth year he had
suffered from deafness.
 Jonathan Swift died in Dublin on October 19, 1745.

5.  Esther Johnson, whom he called Stella. Stella moved to
Ireland to live near him and followed him on his travels to
London. Their relationship was a constant source of
gossips. According to some speculations, they were
married in 1716. Stella died in 1728 and Swift kept a lock
of her hair among his papers for the rest of his life.
 Jane Wairing, with whom he had an affair. For Swift's
disappointment, she did not consider him a suitable
marriage partner.
 Hester Vanhomrigh, whom Swift had met in 1708, and
whom he had tutored, followed him to Ireland after her
mother had died. She was 22 years younger than Swift,
who nicknamed her Vanessa. In the poem 'Cadenus and
Vanessa' from 1713 Swift wrote about the affair: "Each girl,
when pleased with what is taught, / Will have the teacher
in her thought." In 1723 Swift broke off the relationship;
she never recovered form his rejection.

6.  ARGUMENTS AGAINST ABOLISHING
CHRISTIANITY (1708)
 DRAPIER'S LETTERS (1724)
 GULLIVER’S TRAVELS(1726)
 MODEST PROPOSAL (1729)