Juan José León Félix Ramón Olazábal Ramery was born to a very distinguished Gipuzkoan dynasty, much branched and intermarried with a number of other well known local families. His father, Juan Antonio Olazábal Arteaga, held a number of estates in Eastern part of the province. Following his early death in 1867, Juan and his siblings were raised by their mother, Prudencia Ramery Zuzuarregui. At the outbreak of the Third Carlist War the family sought refuge in France. Following their return to Spain Juan was educated in the Jesuit college in Orduña, where he met and befriended Sabino Arana, to proceed with law studies in another Jesuit institute, Colegio del Pasaxe in the Galician A Guarda. He then moved to in Madrid, to graduate in 1885.