What is Ben W. Olcott?
{{Infobox_Governor |name= Ben W. Olcott |caption= |order=16<sup>th</sup> |office= Governor of Oregon |term_start= March 3, 1919 |term_end= January 8, 1923 |lieutenant= <!--Oregon has no Lt. Gov. position--> |predecessor= [[James Withycombe]] |successor= [[Walter M. Pierce]] |birth_date= October 15, 1872 |birth_place= [[Keithsburg, Illinois]] |death_date= March 3, 1952 |death_place= [[Portland, Oregon]] |spouse= Lena Olcott |profession= [[Banker]] |party= [[United States Republican Party|Republican]] |footnotes= }} '''Ben W. Olcott''' (October 15, 1872 – March 3, 1952) was a [[United States Republican Party|Republican]] [[Governor of Oregon]], [[USA]]. ==Early life== Olcott was born in [[Keithsburg, Illinois]]. He was educated at a Keithsburg elementary school and a business school in [[Dixon, Illinois|Dixon]], later becoming a clerk in [[Chicago, Illinois|Chicago]]. In 1891, at age 19, he moved to [[Salem, Oregon]], and became a roommate and good friend of [[Oswald West]]. West would become a major influence in the development of Olcott's political career. ==Adventurer and banker== For nearly 15 years, Olcott travelled throughout the Pacific Northwest, mostly in order to prospect for gold. Often this interrupted pursuits of other occupations, mostly in the field of banking. His trips would take him to Southern Oregon (1892-93 accompanied by Oswald West), back to Salem to become a bank teller (1893-1895), Northern [[Washington]] and [[British Columbia]] (1895-1897), and then back to Illinois for a career as a bank cashier. Olcott's sense of adventure prevailed again in 1904, leading him to [[Alaska]]. His journey ended notably when he drove a dog sled team to [[Nome, Alaska|Nome]], a trip of over 1,000 miles up the [[Yukon River|Yukon]] and Tanna Rivers in the height of winter. Settling in [[Fairbanks, Alaska|Fairbanks]], Olcott found work as a gold dust teller, and later a bank branch manager. He managed to make a sizeable profit from gold prospecting, allowing him to move back to Oregon. ==Becomes a publi