Cyrus Olney (October 11, 1815 – December 12, 1870) was an American politician and lawyer in what would become the state of

Oregon Oregon ( , ) is a U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is a part of the Western U.S., with the Columbia River delineating much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington (state), Washington, while t ...

. He was the 6th justice of the

Oregon Supreme Court The Oregon Supreme Court (OSC) is the highest State court (United States), state court in the U.S. state of Oregon. The only court that may reverse or modify a decision of the Oregon Supreme Court is the Supreme Court of the United States.

serving while the region was still the

Oregon Territory The Territory of Oregon was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from August 14, 1848, until February 14, 1859, when the southwestern portion of the territory was admitted to the United States, Union as the Oreg ...

. A native of

Ohio Ohio ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Lake Erie to the north, Pennsylvania to the east, West Virginia to the southeast, Kentucky to the southwest, Indiana to the ...

, Olney later was a member of the 1857 Oregon Constitutional Convention, and later served in the Oregon legislature.

Early life

Cyrus Olney was born on October 11, 1815, in

Geneva, New York Geneva is a City (New York), city in Ontario County, New York, Ontario and Seneca County, New York, Seneca counties in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York. It is at the northern end of Seneca Lake (New York), Seneca Lake; all land port ...

. He was raised in

, where he was educated in the public schools and later law school in

Cincinnati Cincinnati ( ; colloquially nicknamed Cincy) is a city in Hamilton County, Ohio, United States, and its county seat. Settled in 1788, the city is located on the northern side of the confluence of the Licking River (Kentucky), Licking and Ohio Ri ...

.Corning, Howard M. ''Dictionary of Oregon History''. Binfords & Mort Publishing, 1956. After passing the bar he practiced law for a time in Ohio before moving to

Iowa Iowa ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the upper Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders the Mississippi River to the east and the Missouri River and Big Sioux River to the west; Wisconsin to the northeast, Ill ...

, where he was a judge for four years.

Oregon

Olney moved to Oregon and began law practice in

Portland Portland most commonly refers to: *Portland, Oregon, the most populous city in the U.S. state of Oregon *Portland, Maine, the most populous city in the U.S. state of Maine *Isle of Portland, a tied island in the English Channel Portland may also r ...

in 1851. He continued in this endeavor until 1853, when

United States President The president of the United States (POTUS) is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president directs the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed For ...

Franklin Pierce Franklin Pierce (November 23, 1804October 8, 1869) was the 14th president of the United States, serving from 1853 to 1857. A northern Democratic Party (United States), Democrat who believed that the Abolitionism in the United States, abolitio ...

appointed him to the Oregon Supreme Court.Oregon Blue Book: Earliest Authorities in Oregon - Supreme Court Justices of Oregon.
Oregon Secretary of State. Retrieved on January 25, 2008 Olney remained on the court until 1858 when he resigned, though he had attempted to resign in 1853 and 1854.Lansing, Ronald B. 2005. ''Nimrod: Courts, Claims, and Killing on the Oregon Frontier''. Pullman: Washington State University Press. p. 262 During this time, he also served as a delegate to the Oregon Constitutional Convention in 1857 representing Clatsop County. At the Convention he excused himself and did not vote on the final resolution. In 1866 he was elected to the

Oregon House of Representatives The Oregon House of Representatives is the lower house of the Oregon Legislative Assembly, the upper house being the Oregon State Senate. There are 60 members of the House, representing 60 districts across the state, each with a population of ...

from Clatsop, Columbia, and Tillamook counties. Serving as a Republican he was elected after a one session absence in 1870.Oregon Legislators and Staff Guide, 1870 Regular Session (6th).
Oregon State Archives. Retrieved on June 19, 2016.

Later life and family

Olney married twice in his lifetime. He had a total of seven children from the two marriages. Olney died on December 21, 1870 (or December 21, 1870) in Astoria at the age of 55. He had been addicted to opium and chloroform up to his death. Olney, Oregon was named for him.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Olney, Cyrus Justices of the Oregon Supreme Court 1870 deaths 1815 births Members of the Oregon Constitutional Convention Republican Party members of the Oregon House of Representatives Politicians from Astoria, Oregon Politicians from Geneva, New York Iowa lawyers Ohio lawyers 19th-century American judges 19th-century members of the Oregon Legislative Assembly