Swift & Henry Commission Company was founded in 1909 by James C. Swift and Charles D. Henry.
J.C. Swift studied law at Cornell and came to Kansas City in 1893. In 1902 he was named one of the “Men Who Made Kansas City, Missouri.” He was on the Board of Directors of the Livestock Exchange. Swift was on the University of Missouri Board of Curators from 1911 to 1913. He also served as the president of the American Royal. He was an attorney for Chicago L.S. Commission Company, and Thomas Lee, an old Kansas City commission merchant. Lee liked Swift, so he hired Swift to be the manager of his company. Swift was doing very well with Lee’s company, so Swift started his own commission company in partnership with a cattle salesman named Charles D. Henry.
They called the company Swift & Henry Commission Company.
Through capable caring of livestock and honest dealings, the company grew quickly and became one of the largest firms in the Southwest. In 1929, the livestock industry was hit hard and so was Swift & Henry, but Swift was able to pull through and come out on top, within 15 years, Swift & Henry was the largest commission firm in the country.
After J.C. Swift’s death, the top employee of the company, Clifton J. Kaney, took over in 1937. Kaney was also a very civic minded man and a leader in Kansas City. Mr. Kaney was not educated like Swift was; he dropped out of high school and went to work. Mr. Kaney was president of the Kansas City Livestock Exchange from 1946 to 1953. He was the president of the Kansas City Chamber of Commerce from 1951 to 1953. Mr. Kaney was a director and vice president of the American Royal. He was also named Kansas City’s “Man of the Month” in 1952. Mr. Kaney was the president of Swift & Henry till 1970.
James L. Runyan Sr. became the president of Swift & Henry after Mr. Kaney. He was the Vice President of Swift & Henry when Mr. Kaney was the president. Following in his father’s footsteps, James L. (Jim) Runyan Jr. was the next president of Swift & Henry. Jim was joined by his brother, Tom Runyan Sr., in 1965 when he got out of the Navy. Jim Runyan had worked under Mr. Kaney and his father for several years for the commission company. He knew that the commission industry was going to change, so he wanted to be in the order buying side of the firm, and that is what he did.
He was right. The commission industry slowly changed, and he had established a customer basis in order buying. Swift & Henry now is exclusively an order buying firm. The company’s current name is Swift & Henry Order Buying Company.
As you can see, the success of Swift & Henry came from the foundation established by these good men who were civic minded and leaders of their time.
