Franklin W. Olin

Who was Franklin W. Olin?

Franklin Walter Olin was the founder of the Olin Corporation.

He was born in Woodford, Vermont, and his father built mills and waterwheels. He studied civil engineering at Cornell University, where he also played baseball; he would play as an outfielder in the American Association for two seasons. After graduating with the class of 1886, he worked in several jobs before founding a blasting powder mill construction business; his first opened in East Alton, Illinois, in 1892.

He formed the Western Cartridge Company in 1898 to manufacture ammunition, and during World War I diversified into brassmaking for use in cartridge shells. In 1931 Olin acquired the Winchester Repeating Arms Company. After World War II, Frank Olin retired from management of the firm, leaving it to his sons John and Spencer.

He married Mary Mott Moulton of Toledo, Ohio on May 28, 1889. They had three sons, Franklin W. Jr., John, and Spencer, all three of whom also graduated from Cornell.

He died in St. Louis, Missouri, in 1951. A portion of his fortune was willed to the Franklin W. Olin Foundation, which endowed numerous buildings and professorships in his name at college campuses across the United States.