The broad ax., 1923-12-22
HON. HARRY OLSON
Chief Justice of the Municipal Court
of Chicago
BY HERBERT HARLEY
Of the Chicago Bar

Chicago railway station to another,
walked shyly around the city's impos-
ing courthouse. He was afraid to
enter the alluring chambers where real
lawyers made speeches; it was enough
to worship from afar and to dream of
some day figuring in the fascinating
work Of the courts. Still boy in his
enthusiasts, and still something of a
dreamer. that country-bred lad has
now for a number Of years presided
over the greatest city court in the
world, in the building erected on the
site Of the old courthouse in the city
where he was born.
when first began to notice things
l thought l would be a minister"
Chief Justice Olson relates. "The
minister told the people what to do,
and seemed to be the big figure in the
community Then | heard the village
lawyer make a speech and | revised
my ambition. The lawyer could talk
as we'll as the minister, and was free
to do and say what he pleased
whereas the minister had to say what
he ought to say, whether he liked or
not" And so the instinct for advocacy
was born in the little town Of St.
Marys, Kansas It was a fit environ
ment for a daring, resourceful, and
self-reliant boy, a descendant Of the
Vikings There were no fences for a
thousand miles in three directions
Nature had produced the crude ma
terials for a Wild West show. Blanket
Indians were common. The James
boys gang were busy over the line in
Missouri. Topeka was a frontier town.
and Olson witnessed summary justice
in the stringing up of a burglar at a
prominent street corner when he was a
student there.
The Olson family were largely de
pendent upon their COWS, turned daily
upon the open prairie, for their COM
missary, and it was Harry's job to
round up these vagrant ruminants to-
ward evening 1T was find the COW
or 60 without supper, and got 50 |
could see a COW miles away" he con
fides.
His parents were Swedish immi-
grants. His great-grandfather was an
English army officer who trained
Swedish recruits and led them in a
campaign against Napoleon |. and re-
turned to Sweden to found the family
When Harry was thirteen his father
died. The family possessed nothing
but the little home. This was prompt
ly sold by the widow, who put all of
the proceeds into the education Of her
three sons. my mother was fit to
command battleship, as well as grace
social function" is a comment made
by the Chief Justice. After soulfully
studying the exterior Of Chicago's al
Turing courthouse, Olson took a high
school course at Pecatonica, Illinois.
through the help Of his brother John.
Vacation days were spent painting
carriages. His high-schoo1 work COM
pleted, he secured primary school to
teach, back at St. Marys. In the sue
ceeding year, when nineteen, he was
principal Of the school BY grace Of his
political genius. This work Welded
enough money to justify study at
Washburn College, Topeka, where he
spent two years, and whittier he re-
turned in 1915 to receive the degree
of Doctor of Laws.
Then came a long step toward his
goal through admission to Union Col
lege of Law in Chicago. This School
later became the Law School of North
western University, Of which Judge
Olson is now a trustee. He taught
night school while studying law, and
was graduated and admitted to prac-
tice in Chicago in 1891. Four years
later, when he became assistant states
attorney, his real career began.
The change came in a characteristic
way. Olson listened one evening to
an address by Carl Schurz, who
stressed the fact that swift changes in
industrial and professional conditions
call for vigilance and adaptability. As
he listened he asked -"Does
this apply to me? I have established
good practice, mostly in abstracts
but the Title & Trust Company has
been organized to work in this field,
and where will I be in competition
with a concern which can back I'D its
legal opinions with a million dollars
OF capital? | must find a branch Of
the law which cannot be monopalized
by big corporation. The lawyers
real stronghold is in the trial Of cases.
l must become trial lawyer. But
how get the experience? Evidently
the states attorneys office is the place
for me-"
Before Carl Schurz had finished his
speech the decision had been made,
which resulted not long after in his
appointment as assistant by Charles
;. Deneen, states attorney. This in
volved a serious reduction in earnings.