Oscar R. Olson (March 24, 1869November 23, 1945) was an American farmer, banker, and Republican politician from

Blanchardville, Wisconsin Blanchardville is a village in Iowa and Lafayette counties in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. The population was 807 at the 2020 census. Of this, 613 were in Lafayette County, and 194 were in Iowa County. The Iowa County portion of Blanchardville ...

. He was a member of the

Wisconsin Senate The Wisconsin Senate is the upper house of the Wisconsin State Legislature. Together with the Wisconsin State Assembly they constitute the legislative branch of the state of Wisconsin. The powers of the Wisconsin Senate are modeled after those ...

, representing

Wisconsin's 17th Senate district Wisconsin's 17th Senate district is one of 33 districts in the Wisconsin Senate. Located in southwest Wisconsin, the district comprises all of Crawford County, Wisconsin, Crawford, Grant County, Wisconsin, Grant, Green County, Wisconsin, Green, ...

during the

1919 Events January * January 1 ** The Czechoslovak Legions occupy much of the self-proclaimed "free city" of Pressburg (later Bratislava), enforcing its incorporation into the new republic of Czechoslovakia. ** HMY ''Iolaire'' sinks off th ...

and

1921 Events January * January 2 ** The Association football club Cruzeiro Esporte Clube, from Belo Horizonte, is founded as the multi-sports club Palestra Italia by Italian expatriates in First Brazilian Republic, Brazil. ** The Spanish lin ...

sessions. He also served three terms as register of deeds of

Green County, Wisconsin Green County is a county located in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. As of the 2020 census, the population was 37,093. Its county seat is Monroe. Green County is included in the Madison, WI Metropolitan Statistical Area. History The land of G ...

Biography

Olson was born in Jordan, Wisconsin. he was the son of Rollin Olson (1832–1898) and Mary (Peterson) Olson (1837–1913), who immigrated from Norway in 1845. He attended

Valparaiso University Valparaiso University (Valpo) is a private university in Valparaiso, Indiana, United States. It is an independent Lutheran university with five colleges. It enrolls nearly 2,300 students and has a campus. The university is known for its Luthe ...

. During the

Spanish–American War The Spanish–American War (April 21 – August 13, 1898) was fought between Restoration (Spain), Spain and the United States in 1898. It began with the sinking of the USS Maine (1889), USS ''Maine'' in Havana Harbor in Cuba, and resulted in the ...

, Olson served in the

Wisconsin National Guard The Wisconsin National Guard consists of the Wisconsin Army National Guard and the Wisconsin Air National Guard. It is a part of the Government of Wisconsin under the control of the Wisconsin Department of Military Affairs. The Wisconsin Nation ...

, achieving the rank of

captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader or highest rank officer of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police depa ...

. He died on November 23, 1945 and was buried in Old York Lutheran Cemetery in

Political career

Olson was elected to the Senate in 1918. Previously, he served three terms as register of deeds of

. He was a Republican.

References

1869 births 1945 deaths American people of Norwegian descent Valparaiso University alumni People from Jordan, Wisconsin People from Blanchardville, Wisconsin Republican Party Wisconsin state senators American Lutherans Military personnel from Wisconsin Wisconsin National Guard personnel National Guard (United States) officers American military personnel of the Spanish–American War 20th-century members of the Wisconsin Legislature {{Wisconsin-WISenate-stub