Harry Olson graduated from Northwestern University's Law School in 1891. He served as Chief Justice of the Municipal Court of Chicago from 1906-1930. The Harry Olson papers date from 1906 to 1940, and include biographical, correspondence, and subject files, with correspondence comprising the bulk of the series. This series represents the surviving portion of a larger body of papers, half of which were irretrievably damaged by mold, damp, and vermin.