Founded by oil tycoon Sidney A. Swensrud in 1959 in Boston, Massachusetts. Swensrud became interested in immigration restriction at a young age and as a result, Swensrud funded anti-immigration groups through his foundation, including Tanton’s U.S. Inc. Between 2006 and 2017, the Sidney A. Swensrud foundation has donated over $3.2 million to the anti-immigrant movement.
From 1987 to 1988, Swensrud served as chairman of FAIR’s board, and is credited with making “critical policy decisions.” U.S. Inc. has lauded the late Swensrud as a hero, saying that the population control advocate helped steer the group “through an early and near-fatal financial crisis,” and helped “re-establish control over the demographic destiny in the U.S.”
His family is still involved in funding and advising anti-immigrant work, and his son S. Blake Swensrud II sits on FAIR’s board of directors while his granddaughter Nancy Swensrud Anthony, along with Dozier Gardner, serve as Trustees to his foundation.