William Morrow Knox Olcott (August 27, 1862 – May 10, 1933) was an American lawyer and politician from

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

Early life

He was born on August 27, 1862, in

to John N. Olcott and Euphemia Helen Knox. Future Congressman

J. Van Vechten Olcott Jacob Van Vechten Olcott (May 17, 1856 – June 1, 1940) was a U.S. Representative from New York. Born in New York City, Olcott attended public schools, including the Thirteenth Street School. He also attended the College of the City of New Y ...

and mining engineer

Eben Erskine Olcott Eben Erskine Olcott (March 11, 1854 – June 7, 1929) was an American mining engineer. He was president of the Hudson River Day Line and served as two-time president of the American Institute of Mining, Metallurgical, and Petroleum Engineers in 1 ...

were his brothers. He graduated from City College in 1881, and from

Columbia Law School Columbia Law School (Columbia Law or CLS) is the law school of Columbia University, a private Ivy League university in New York City. Columbia Law is widely regarded as one of the most prestigious law schools in the world and has always ranked i ...

in 1883.

Career

He practiced law and entered politics as a

Republican Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...

. In November 1893, he ran for judge of the New York City Court, but was defeated. He was a member of the Board of Aldermen from January 1895 until his appointment as

New York County District Attorney The New York County District Attorney, also known as the Manhattan District Attorney, is the elected district attorney for New York County (Manhattan), New York (state), New York. The office is responsible for the prosecution of violations of New ...

He was appointed

in December 1896 to fill the vacancy caused by the death of

John R. Fellows John R. Fellows (July 29, 1832 – December 7, 1896) was an American lawyer and politician from Arkansas and New York (state), New York. He served as New York County District Attorney (1888-1890, 1894-1896), and a member of Congress from New Yo ...

. In November 1897, he ran on the Republican ticket to succeed himself, but was defeated by Democrat

Asa Bird Gardiner Asa Bird Gardiner (September 30, 1839 – May 24, 1919) was a controversial American soldier, attorney, and district attorney for New York County (a.k.a. the Borough of Manhattan) from 1898 to 1900. He received the Medal of Honor for his service ...

. In December 1897, Olcott was appointed by Governor Frank S. Black, a judge of the New York City Court, to fill the vacancy caused by the resignation of

Robert Anderson Van Wyck Robert Anderson Van Wyck ( ;Paumgarten, Nick"The Van Wyck Question" ''The New Yorker'', June 11, 2001. Accessed September 12, 2008. July 20, 1849November 14, 1918) was the first mayor of New York City after the consolidation of the five boroughs ...

who had been elected Mayor. He left the bench at the end of 1898, and resumed his private practice as a partner of Ex-Governor Black in the firm of Black, Olcott, Gruber & Bonynge. He was a delegate to the 1904 Republican National Convention and to the

New York State Constitutional Convention The Constitution of the State of New York establishes the structure of the government of the State of New York, and enumerates the basic rights of the citizens of New York. Like most state constitutions in the United States, New York's constituti ...

of 1915.

Personal life

On December 6, 1888, he married Jessica Augusta Baldwin, and their son was Nellson Olcott, who became an

Assistant District Attorney In the United States, a district attorney (DA), county attorney, state's attorney, prosecuting attorney, commonwealth's attorney, or state attorney is the chief prosecutor and/or chief law enforcement officer representing a U.S. state in a loc ...

under

Edward Swann Edward Swann (March 10, 1862 – September 19, 1945) was an American lawyer, jurist, and politician from New York. From November 4, 1902 to March 3, 1903, he served part of one term in the U.S. House of Representatives. Life He was born on Ma ...

and Joab H. Banton. In January 1930, his first wife died aboard the steamer ''Rome'' on the return voyage from

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical re ...

. In June 1931, he married Florence A. Cobbett (died 1951).

Sources

''SMOKED AND MADE A TICKET''
in NYT on October 18, 1893
''THE CITY'S OFFICIAL VOTE''
in NYT on November 24, 1894
''OLCOTT TAKES HIS OFFICE''
in NYT on December 20, 1896
''REPUBLICANS NAME OLCOTT''
in NYT on October 8, 1897
''OFFICIAL COUNT OF VOTES''
in NYT on November 21, 1897
''BLACK TO MOVE TO CITY''
in NYT on December 12, 1898
''BLACK TO FIGHT JEROME''
in NYT on December 6, 1902

his first wife's obit, in NYT on January 25, 1930 (subscription required)

in NYT on July 1, 1931 (subscription required)
''W.M.K. OLCOTT, EX-JUDGE, DEAD''
in NYT on May 11, 1933 (subscription required)

his second wife's obit, in NYT on July 18, 1951 (subscription required) {{DEFAULTSORT:Olcott, William Morrow Knox 1862 births 1933 deaths Columbia Law School alumni New York County District Attorneys City College of New York alumni New York (state) Republicans