Neilson was the daughter of Annie Maria (née Higgins) and
Gustavus Franklin Swift, founder of the meatpacking company
Swift & Co. Her first husband was
Edward Morris, son of
Nelson Morris, the founder of
Morris & Company, a competitor to her father. In 1913, her husband died, and in 1917, she married British politician and writer
Francis Neilson, with whom she founded the weekly paper
The Freeman in 1920. She is perhaps best known for her book about her parents, titled
My Father and My Mother. Neilson died in
Chicago, Illinois. She bequeathed several notable paintings to the
Metropolitan Museum of Art: File:Rembrandt, Portret van een jonge vrouw met waaier, 1633, Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York City.jpg|
Portrait of a Young Woman with a Fan, by
Rembrandt File:The Lovesick Maiden MET DP147594.jpg|
The Lovesick Maiden, by
Jan Steen File:Janet Law MET DP162154.jpg|
Portrait of Janet Law, by
Henry Raeburn File:Mrs. Thomas Pechell (Charlotte Clavering, died 1841) MET DP162153.jpg|
Portrait of Mrs. Thomas Pechell (Charlotte Clavering, died 1841), by
John Hoppner File:Major Thomas Pechell (1753–1826) MET DP162152.jpg|
Portrait of Thomas Pechell (1753–1826), by John Hoppner ==References==