Gerry Swinehart, a pioneer in the public relations field, began his career as a journalist, first working for his hometown newspaper in Indiana, the Elkhart Truth and later in Florida for the Palm Beach Post and United Press and International News Service. In 1926 he left newspapering to become director of public relations for the City of West Palm Beach. He joined with Carl Byoir in 1930 in launching a tourist promotion effort in Cuba and in forming Carl Byoir & Associates, later one of the most successful public relations firms in the country with headquarters in New York City. Swinehart was connected with the firm for 36 years, serving as general manager, executive vice-president (1943), president (1946) and board chairman (1956). In the last few years of his life, he suffered from a heart ailment and divided his time between New York and his home in Tucson, Arizona. He remained active and involved in company activities however, and died in 1966 minutes after giving a speech before an old client, the Tile Council of America.
