Richard Olney | |
|---|---|
 Olney c. 1890 | |
| 34th United States Secretary of State | |
| In office June 10, 1895 – March 5, 1897 | |
| President | Grover Cleveland |
| Preceded by | Walter Q. Gresham |
| Succeeded by | John Sherman |
| 40th United States Attorney General | |
| In office March 6, 1893 – June 10, 1895 | |
| President | Grover Cleveland |
| Preceded by | William H. H. Miller |
| Succeeded by | Judson Harmon |
| Member of the Massachusetts House of Representatives from the 2nd Norfolk district | |
| In office January 7, 1874 – January 6, 1875 | |
| Preceded by | Robert Seaver |
| Succeeded by | Joseph S. Ropes |
| Personal details | |
| Born | September 15, 1835 Oxford, Massachusetts, U.S. |
| Died | April 8, 1917 (aged 81) Boston, Massachusetts, U.S. |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse | Agnes Park Thomas |
| Education | Brown University (BA) Harvard University (LLB) |
| Signature | .png) |
Richard Olney (September 15, 1835 – April 8, 1917) was an American attorney, statesman, and Democratic Party politician who served as a member of the second cabinet of President Grover Cleveland as the 40th United States Attorney General from 1893 to 1895 and 34th Secretary of State from 1895 to 1897.[1]
As attorney general, Olney used injunctions against striking workers in the Pullman strike, setting a precedent, and advised the use of federal troops, when legal means failed to control the strikers.
As Secretary of State, Olney mediated the Venezuelan crisis of 1895 and managed Cleveland's anti-expansionist policy in response to the overthrow of the Hawaiian Kingdom and the Cuban War of Independence, though both Hawaii and Cuba were annexed during the subsequent William McKinley administration. He raised the status of America in the world by elevating U.S. diplomatic posts to the status of embassy.
- ^ Scott, James Brown (1917). "In Memoriam: Richard Olney". American Journal of International Law. 11 (3): 641–642. doi:10.1017/S0002930000769533. ISSN 0002-9300.