Michael Olbrich (September 29, 1881 – October 10, 1929) was a

Madison, Wisconsin Madison is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of Wisconsin. It is the List of municipalities in Wisconsin by population, second-most populous city in the state, with a population of 269,840 at the 2020 Uni ...

, lawyer, politician, and conservationist, who founded

Olbrich Botanical Gardens Olbrich Botanical Gardens is a 16-acre outdoor botanical garden and 10,000-square-foot conservatory in Madison, Wisconsin. Founded in 1952 and named for its founder, Michael Olbrich, the gardens are owned and operated jointly by the City of Ma ...

and the University of Wisconsin-Madison Arboretum.

Biography

Olbrich was born Michael Balthasar Olbrich in

Chemung, Illinois Chemung, elevation , is an unincorporated area#United States, unincorporated census-designated place in McHenry County, Illinois, McHenry County, Illinois, United States. Per the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census, the population was 276. Hi ...

in 1881. He graduated from the

University of Wisconsin-Madison A university () is an institution of tertiary education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. ''University'' is derived from the Latin phrase , which roughly means "community of teachers and scholars". Uni ...

in 1902, where he was a member of the debate team. 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 was involved in a court case over a Montana sheep ranch in which he had invested much of his money, which led to his

suicide Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. Risk factors for suicide include mental disorders, physical disorders, and substance abuse. Some suicides are impulsive acts driven by stress (such as from financial or ac ...

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. He was a member of the law firm of Olbrich and Siebecker.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Olbrich, Michael People from McHenry County, Illinois Republican Party of Wisconsin chairs Wisconsin lawyers University of Wisconsin–Madison alumni 1881 births 1929 suicides 1929 deaths American politicians who died by suicide Suicides by hanging in Wisconsin Politicians from Madison, Wisconsin Lawyers from Madison, Wisconsin 19th-century American lawyers 20th-century American lawyers