Gideon Olin was a United States Representative from Vermont

Vermont

Vermont is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. The state ranks 43rd in land area, , and 45th in total area. Its population according to the 2010 census, 630,337, is the second smallest in the country, larger only than Wyoming. It is the only New England...

. He was born in East Greenwich, Rhode Island

East Greenwich, Rhode Island

East Greenwich is a town in and the county seat of Kent County, Rhode Island, United States. The population was 13,146 at the 2010 census. East Greenwich is the wealthiest municipality within the state of Rhode Island....

. He received a limited schooling and engaged in agricultural pursuits. Later, he moved to Vermont and settled in Shaftsbury

Shaftsbury, Vermont

Shaftsbury is a town in Bennington County, Vermont, United States. The population was 3,767 at the 2000 census. The town was chartered on August 20, 1761...

 in 1776.

Olin was a delegate to the Windsor Convention in 1777. He was a member of the Vermont House of Representatives

Vermont House of Representatives

The Vermont House of Representatives is the lower house of the Vermont General Assembly, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Vermont. The House comprises 150 members. Vermont legislative districting divides representing districts into 66 single-member districts and 42 two-member...

 in 1778, 1780–1793, and in 1799, serving as speaker 1788–1793. During the American Revolutionary War

American Revolutionary War

The American Revolutionary War , the American War of Independence, or simply the Revolutionary War, began as a war between the Kingdom of Great Britain and thirteen British colonies in North America, and ended in a global war between several European great powers.The war was the result of the...

, he served as a major in the Second Regiment. After the war, he served as an assistant judge of Bennington County Court 1781–1798 and chief judge 1807–1811. He was a delegate to the state constitutional convention in 1791 and a member of the Governor’s council 1793–1798. He was elected as a Democratic-Republican

Democratic-Republican Party (United States)

The Democratic-Republican Party or Republican Party was an American political party founded in the early 1790s by Thomas Jefferson and James Madison. Political scientists use the former name, while historians prefer the latter one; contemporaries generally called the party the "Republicans", along...

 to the Eighth and Ninth Congresses (March 4, 1803 – March 3, 1807). After leaving Congress, he resumed agricultural pursuits. He died in Shaftsbury in 1823 and was buried in Shaftsbury Center.

Olin was the father of Abram Baldwin Olin and uncle of Henry Olin

Henry Olin

Henry Olin was the nephew of Gideon Olin and a United States politician and US representative from Vermont.Born in Shaftsbury, Vermont on May 7, 1768, he studied law, was admitted to the bar and practiced as a lawyer...

. Both of these men also served as United States Representatives in the 19th century.