Jonathan Swift is today known as perhaps the one of the greatest satirists of all time, due to his (initially) anonymous publication of A Modest Proposal, which proposed cannibalism (among other things) as a solution to overpopulation, poverty and famine in Ireland. It was, to his amusement, taken seriously.
Swift also wrote Gulliver's Travels, which is more sharp political commentary disguised as a children's book (see saint's writeup below for correction). He also pulled a couple of social engineering hacks, such as having a political rival of his declared legally dead, complete with mocking obituary.
Jonathan Swift was born on November 30 1667 in Dublin, Ireland to Anglo-Irish parents. His father died before his first birthday. He was blessed with the best education available at the time, and upon the invasion of Ireland by William of Orange, fled to England. There he became heavily involved in politics.
He became a staunch supporter of the Protestant Church, and worked hard to publicise the plight of his fellow Irishmen, who were being treated despicably by the English at the time (with the results still visible today). He died on 19 October 1745, aged 78, after a stroke, and suffering from 'senility'.
He kept his edge to the last - his last will and testament provided funds to establish in Dublin a hospital for "ideots & lunaticks", because "No Nation needed it so much."
Selected works include:
There are plenty of biographies that are far more detailed than this one, and go in to detail regarding his politics, religious affiliations, love life (or lack of it) etcetera, but most of it said better by other writeups in this node, and at the following locations, which is where the above came from:
http://landow.stg.brown.edu/victorian/previctorian/swift/swiftov.html
http://top-biography.com/9073-Jonathan%20Swift/
http://www.accd.edu/sac/english/bailey/swift.htm
http://www.alphalink.com.au/~parkerp/essay16.htm.
http://www.cwrl.utexas.edu/~benjamin/316kfall/316kunit2/studentprojects/group1/003bioswift.html
http://www.hertford.ox.ac.uk/alumni/swift.htm
http://www.incompetech.com/authors/swift/
http://www.incwell.com/Biographies/Swift.html
http://www.jonathan-swift-essays.com/
http://www.kirjasto.sci.fi/jswift.htm
http://www.time.com/time/europe/nitrail/nitrail.html