Arnold Olsen | |
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| Member of theU.S. House of Representatives fromMontana's1st district | |
| In office January 3, 1961 – January 3, 1971 | |
| Preceded by | Lee Metcalf |
| Succeeded by | Richard G. Shoup |
| 16thAttorney General of Montana | |
| In office 1949–1957 | |
| Governor | John W. Bonner J. Hugo Aronson |
| Preceded by | R. V. Bottombly |
| Succeeded by | Forrest H. Anderson |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1916-12-17)December 17, 1916 Butte, Montana,United States |
| Died | October 9, 1990(1990-10-09) (aged 73)[1] Helena, Montana,United States |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse | Margaret Mary Williams |
| Alma mater | Montana School of Mines Montana State University Law School |
Arnold Olsen (December 17, 1916 – October 9, 1990) was aU.S.Democraticpolitician who served as theAttorney General of Montana from 1949 to 1957, and as a member of theUnited States House of Representatives fromMontana's 1st congressional district from 1961 to 1971.
He was born inButte, Montana on December 17, 1916, to Anna (née Vennes) and Albert Olsen, bothNorwegian immigrants.[2][3] He attended Butte public schools, theMontana School of Mines, 1934–1936, and graduated from theMontana State University Law School (now theUniversity of Montana),Missoula, Montana in 1940. He served four years of overseas duty in the Navy duringWorld War II. In August 1942, during shore leave, Olsen married Margaret Mary Williams, of Butte. They had three children - Margaret Rae Olsen, Anna Kristine Olsen, and Karin Synneve Olsen Billings. Arnold and Margaret have 5 grandchildren; John-David Childs, Todd Arnold Graetz, Kara Ann (Graetz) Trapp; Jonathan Olsen Billings and Luke Alexander Billings. They had three great-grandchildren, Victoria Graetz and Sawyer and Ella Olsen Trapp.[4]
Olsen opened a private law practice in 1940. He was elected asAttorney General of Montana in 1948, and was re-elected in 1952. Rather than seek re-election, he instead opted to run forGovernor of Montana in1956, and, after narrowly defeating former GovernorJohn W. Bonner in theDemocratic primary, advanced to the general election, where he faced incumbent GovernorJ. Hugo Aronson. Following a close campaign, Olsen narrowly lost to Aronson. Following his defeat, he ran for the position of Chief Justice of theMontana Supreme Court, but lost to incumbent Chief Justice James T. Harrison by a slim margin.[5]
In1960, when CongressmanLee Metcalf opted torun for the Senate rather than seek re-election, Olsen ran to succeed him in the1st congressional district. He defeated George P. Sarsfield, theRepublican nominee, winning his first of five terms. Olsen was narrowly re-elected over Republican Wayne Montgomery in1962, and by a wider margin against Montgomery in1964. In1966, he defeated Republican nominee Dick Smiley by about two thousand votes, and, in a rematch against Smiley in1968, by a wider margin. When Olsen ran for a sixth term in1970, he was narrowly defeated for re-election byRichard G. Shoup, the Mayor ofMissoula. He ran against Shoup again in1972, but ultimately lost to him. In1974, he ran for Congress one final time, but lost in the Democratic primary toMax Baucus, who ended up defeating Shoup in the general election.
Olsen was appointed by GovernorThomas Lee Judge to the Second Judicial District of Montana, in 1977, and elected to that post in 1979 and two additional times, serving until his death in 1990.
| Party political offices | ||
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| Preceded by | Democratic nominee forGovernor of Montana 1956 | Succeeded by Paul Cannon |
| Legal offices | ||
| Preceded by | Attorney General of Montana 1949–1957 | Succeeded by |
| U.S. House of Representatives | ||
| Preceded by | Member of theU.S. House of Representatives fromMontana's 1st congressional district 1961–1971 | Succeeded by |
| Territorial (1865–1889) |
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| Oneat-large seat (1889–1913) |
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| Two at-large seats (1913–1919) |
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| Districts (1919–1993) |
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| One at-large seat (1993–2023) |
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| Districts (2023–present) |
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| International | |
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| National | |
| People | |
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