Edson Baldwin Olds - Facts

June 3, 1802 - January 24, 1869

Key facts about Edson B. Olds, a Copperhead leader and three-term U.S. Congressman who federal officials arrested and imprisoned for disloyalty during the Civil War.

Portrait of Edson Olds

On August 12, 1862, federal officials arrested Edson Olds for disloyalty and imprisoned him in Fort Lafayette, New York. Although he was never formally charged with a crime or tried in a court of law, Olds was imprisoned for four months — twenty-two days of which he spent in solitary confinement. [Wikimedia Commons]

Full Name:

  • Edson Baldwin Olds

Birth Date:

  • June 3, 1802

Birth Location:

  • Marlboro, Vermont

Parents:

  • Joseph and Sally (Whitney) Olds

Education:

  • University of Pennsylvania (1824)

Occupation:

  • Physician, politician

Career Summary:

  • U.S. Congressman

Spouse:

  • Anna Maria Carolus (1824)

Place of Death:

  • Lancaster, Ohio

Date of Death:

  • January 24, 1869

Place of Burial:

  • Forest Cemetery at Circleville, Ohio

Significance:

  • Edson Olds moved to Ohio about 1820 and taught school.
  • Edson Olds graduated from the medical department of the University of Pennsylvania in 1824 and began practicing of medicine in Kingston, Ohio.
  • On June 18, 1824, Edson Olds married Anna Maria Carolus. The couple had eight children, six of whom survived infancy.
  • Edson Olds moved to Circleville, Ohio, in 1828.
  • Edson Olds practiced medicine in Circleville, Ohio until 1837, when he engaged in the general produce business and mercantile pursuits.
  • Edson Olds served as a member of the Ohio House of Representatives in 1842, 1843, 1845, and 1846.
  • Edson Olds served in the Ohio Senate 1846-1848 and was its presiding officer in 1846 and 1847.
  • Edson Olds was elected as a Democrat to the Thirty-first, Thirty-second, and Thirty-third Congresses (March 4, 1849 – March 3, 1855).
  • During the Thirty-second and Thirty-third Congresses, Edson Olds served as chairman of the Committee on the Post Office and Post Roads.
  • Edson Olds was an unsuccessful candidate for reelection in 1854 to the Thirty-fourth Congress.
  • Edson Olds moved to Lancaster, Ohio, in 1857.
  • Edson Olds was an outspoken opponent of the Civil War and the Lincoln administration.
  • On August 12, 1862, federal officials arrested Edson Olds for disloyalty and imprisoned him in Fort Lafayette, New York.
  • Although he was never formally charged with a crime or tried in a court of law, Edson Olds was imprisoned at Fort Lafayette, in New York, for four months—twenty-two days of which he spent in solitary confinement.
  • Edson Olds was released from imprisonment at Fort Lafayette, in New York on December 12, 1862.
  • While in prison, Fairfield and Hocking County voters elected Edson Olds to the Ohio House of Representatives.
  • After his release from prison, Edson Olds served in the Ohio House of Representatives from 1862 to 1866.
  • In June 1863, Olds and swore out a warrant for Governor Tod’s arrest and filed a lawsuit against him for kidnapping, but he dropped his complaint several months later.

Citation Information

The following information is provided for citations.

  • Article Title Edson Baldwin Olds - Facts
  • Date June 3, 1802 - January 24, 1869
  • Author
  • Keywords Edson Baldwin Olds
  • Website Name American History Central
  • Access Date September 21, 2023
  • Publisher R.Squared Communications, LLC
  • Original Published Date
  • Date of Last Update August 11, 2023

Edson Baldwin Olds - Facts is Part of the Following on AHC