David Swing (1830-1894) was born in Cincinnati, Ohio, and died in Chicago, Illinois. He was an independent minister who preached at the now-demolished Central Music Hall in Chicago. He graduated from Miami University in Oxford, Ohio, in 1852 and then studied theology at Lane Theological Seminary in Cincinnati, Ohio. Swing returned to his alma mater and taught there from 1854-1866, when he became minister of Westminster Presbyterian Church in Chicago. In 1874, he was charged with heresy and was tried before the Presbytery of Chicago. Despite being acquitted of all charges, he left the Church and in 1875, founded the independent Central Church in Chicago, holding the pastorate from 1875 until his passing. Swing became incredibly popular and counted Mary Todd Lincoln, the wife of Abraham Lincoln, among his followers.

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