Michael Olbrich

Michael Olbrich (September 29, 1881 - October 10, 1929) was a Madison, Wisconsin, lawyer, politician, and conservationist, who founded Olbrich Botanical Gardens and the University of Wisconsin-Madison Arboretum.[1]

Biography

Olbrich was born Michael Balthasar Olbrich in Chemung, Illinois in 1881. He graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, where he was a member of the debate team.[2]

A noted enthusiast of nature, Olbrich founded what is now known as Olbrich Botanical Gardens in Madison, Wisconsin. The Olbrich Gateway at the University of Wisconsin-Madison Arboretum is also named for him.

Olbrich would contract an acute case of influenza that left him in a deep state of depression. This led to his committing suicide in 1929.

Career

Olbrich was Chairman of the Republican Party of Wisconsin in 1912. Later, he served as Deputy Attorney General of Wisconsin from 1919 to 1921.

References

  1. ↑ Franklin E. Court, "Michael B. Olbrich's Role in the History of Wildlife Conservation in Wisconsin", Wisconsin Magazine of History, Spring 2015, pp. 40-53.
  2. ↑ "Michael Olbrich". Historic Madison, Inc. of Wisconsin. Retrieved 2013-10-25.
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