Aswell was born in the Vernon community in rural
Jackson Parish in north Louisiana to Benjamin W. and Elizabeth A. (Lyles) Aswell . He graduated with teaching credentials in 1892 from
Peabody College. In 1893, he received the Bachelor of Arts degree from the
University of Nashville, and received a
Master of Arts degree from the
University of Arkansas at
Fayetteville the following year. In 1907, he obtained his
law degree from the same institution. He was a state school administrator before he was selected to be president of Louisiana Polytechnic Institute, now
Louisiana Tech University, in 1900. He resigned in 1904 after being elected as
Louisiana Superintendent of Education in 1904. He resigned his position in 1908 to be president of Louisiana State Normal School, now
Northwestern State University. Aswell resigned his position in 1911 to run unsuccessfully for governor in the
1912 Democratic primary. He was defeated by
Luther E. Hall, who served in the state's highest office from 1912 to 1916. Later that year, Aswell was elected to the U.S. House from the newly created
8th congressional district, based around
Natchitoches and
Alexandria. Aswell was reelected nine times. During the 1920s, he was the ranking minority member of the
House Agriculture Committee. He worked with the Louisiana
naturalist Caroline Dormon to establish the
Kisatchie National Forest in his district. ==References==