Russell Olson

Russell Olson
39th Lieutenant Governor of Wisconsin
In office
1979–1983
Governor Lee S. Dreyfus
Preceded by Martin J. Schreiber
Succeeded by James T. Flynn
Member of the Wisconsin State Assembly
In office
1960-1977
Personal details
Born (1924-02-19)February 19, 1924
Chicago, Illinois
Died April 14, 2010(2010-04-14) (aged 86)
Holmes Beach, Florida
Political party Republican

Russell A. Olson (February 19, 1924 – April 14, 2010) was a Wisconsin politician.[1] He served as a member of the Wisconsin Legislature and as the 39th Lieutenant Governor of Wisconsin. Olson later served the administration of U.S. President Ronald Reagan as the Midwest Director for the United States Department of Transportation.

Early life and career

Olson was born in Chicago, Illinois in 1924 and educated in Chicago Public Schools; he served in the U.S. Marine Corps from 1942 until 1946. After World War II, he moved to rural Kenosha County, Wisconsin, where he raised cattle and started a family. He was elected to the Wisconsin State Assembly for the first time in 1960, and served intermittently through 1977.[2]

Olson was a member of the American Farm Bureau Federation, American Legion, Veterans of Foreign Wars, Wisconsin Cattlemen's Association, and Twin Lakes Businessmen's Association.[3]

During his time in the legislature, Olson served on the committees on Agriculture, Insurance and Banking, Small Business, Labor, and the Joint Committee on Finance. Olson later served on the UW Medical Center board and as a member of the Wisconsin Building Commission.[4]

Lieutenant Governor (1978-1983)

In 1978, he was elected the 39th Lieutenant Governor of Wisconsin, an office he held from 1979 until 1983. During his term, the Wisconsin Constitution was amended so that the lieutenant governor was no longer the president of the state senate. Olson was a conservative Republican and outspoken opponent of welfare assistance. Olson broke with mainstream Republicans in opposing the tax cuts of the 1980s, believing that doing so would make budgets unsustainable.

After his term ended, Olson worked for the U.S. Department of Transportation as Midwest Director.[5]

Retirement and death

In retirement, he lived in Anna Maria, Florida. He died in Holmes Beach, Florida, age 86.[6]

Notes

  1. ↑ SJR-83
  2. ↑ Wisconsin Historical Society-Russell A. Olson
  3. ↑ "Olson, Russell A. 1924 | Wisconsin Historical Society". Wisconsin Historical Society. 2017-08-08. Retrieved 2018-10-11.
  4. ↑ "Dictionary of Wisconsin History | Wisconsin Historical Society". Wisconsin Historical Society. 2017-07-25. Retrieved 2018-04-22.
  5. ↑ "Russell Olson". www.nndb.com. Retrieved 2018-04-22.
  6. ↑ Former Lt. Gov. Russell Olson dies

References

  • "Wisconsin Constitutional Officers; Lieutenant Governors" (PDF). State of Wisconsin Blue Book 2005–2006. Wisconsin Legislative Reference Bureau. July 2005. p. 31. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 25, 2007. Retrieved October 10, 2007.
  • "Russell A. Olson". Office of the Lieutenant Governor. Archived from the original on May 28, 2010. Retrieved October 10, 2007.
Political offices
Preceded by
Martin Schreiber		 Lieutenant Governor of Wisconsin
1979–1983		 Succeeded by
James T. Flynn


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