Arthur F. Odlin

Who was Arthur F. Odlin?

Arthur Fuller Odlin was a judge of the United States courts in the Philippines and in Puerto Rico.

Born and raised in Concord, New Hampshire, a son of Woodbridge and Abby P. Odlin, he attended Dartmouth College and Boston University School of Law. He married October 5, 1886 to Mary Emma Allen of Lancaster, New Hampshire. After practicing law in Massachusetts, Ohio, and Orlando, Florida, Odlin was appointed Attorney General of Puerto Rico after the United States acquired the island following the Spanish-American War.

From 1901 to 1904, Odlin was a judge of the Court of First Instance in Manila in the then-U.S. controlled Philippine Islands, reportedly the first court to be created in the Philippines under U.S. rule. Odlin then returned to private practice, participating in several cases before the United States Supreme Court.

In 1921, President Warren G. Harding selected Odlin to serve as Judge of the United States District Court for the District of Puerto Rico. Odlin served a single four-year term as the sole federal judge in Puerto Rico. He left office in 1925 and died in Jacksonville, Florida the following year. His successor in office was Ira K. Wells.