| Honorific-Prefix: | The Honorable |
| Ralph O. Olson | |
| Office: | Justice of the Washington Supreme Court |
| Birth Date: | 26 March 1902 |
| Birth Place: | Alden, Minnesota |
| Death Place: | Olympia, Washington |
| Nationality: | American |
| Alma Mater: | Carleton College University of Minnesota Law School |
Ralph O. Olson (March 26, 1902 – January 15, 1955) was a justice of the Washington Supreme Court from 1951 until his death in 1955.[1] [2]
Olson was born in Alden, Minnesota, and earned his bachelor's degree at Carleton College in Northfield, Minnesota, where he was a member of the Beta Theta Pi fraternity.[2] [3] He obtained his law degree at the University of Minnesota, where he played football.[1]
After earning his law degree, Olson moved to the state of Washington and was admitted to the bar in 1924. He practiced as an attorney in Bellingham, Washington, until becoming a police judge in 1926. In 1936, he became a judge for the Washington State Superior Court. In 1951, he was appointed as a Washington Supreme Court justice after the retirement of Walter B. Beals and was formally elected as a justice in 1952.[2]
He died from a cerebral hemorrhage at St. Peter Hospital on January 15, 1955, at the age of 52.[1] Olson had a wife and several children.[1] [2] Following Olson's death, he was succeeded on the court by Richard B. Ott, who took Olson's son, Don Olson, as his law clerk.[4]