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Why did Jonathan Swift grow up without his father?
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Jonathan Swift
Jonathan Swift, detail of an oil painting by Charles Jervas, c. 1718; in the National Portrait Gallery, London.
Jonathan Swift grew up without his father because his father, also named Jonathan Swift, died suddenly in the spring of 1667. At the time of his death, Swiftâs father left behind his wife, Abigail Erick, a baby daughter, and an unborn sonâthe future authorâwho was subsequently raised with the support of his uncles.12