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.

Biography Olbrich was born Michael Balthasar Olbrich in Chemung, Illinois in 1881. He graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Madison 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,

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.