Jack Olsen
Encyclopedia
Jack Olsen was an American journalist
and author
known for his thorough, scholarly approach to crime reporting. Olsen was Senior Editor and Chief for the Sun-Times in Chicago Illinois in 1954. He was Midwest bureau chief for Time
magazine and a senior editor for Sports Illustrated
in 1961. He was also a regular contributor to other publications, including Fortune
and Vanity Fair
.
Books by Olsen have sold 33 million copies. Several of his books examined the intersection of law and politics during the late 1960s-early 1970s. These include Last Man Standing: The Tragedy and Triumph of Geronimo Pratt, (Pratt
, a leader of the Black Panther Party
, was declared innocent and released from prison after serving 25 years on the perjured testimony
of a paid FBI informant
), and The Bridge at Chappaquiddick, (examining the 1969 car crash and death
that damaged Sen. Edward Kennedy's
political career). As Carl Bernstein
and Bob Woodward
write in their book All The President's Men
, the book was one of several checked out of the White House
library by E. Howard Hunt
in the course of gathering information about Kennedy to potentially be used against him in the 1972 presidential campaign.
Many of Olsen's most popular works investigated the life histories of violent career criminals. These include studies of serial rapists such as Arthur Shawcross
(The Misbegotten Son) and George Russell, (Charmer), as well as serial killers (Hastened to the Grave: The Gypsy Murder Investigation). Discussing his life-long interest in crime journalism, Olsen described a field trip that his college criminology
class took to a prison
:
“Olsen's work had social conscience. At Sports Illustrated in 1968, he shook the athletic establishment with a series about black athletes and the discrimination they faced in professional and college sports.” http://www.jackolsen.com/
Olsen's journalism was recognized with the National Headliner Award, the Chicago Newspaper Guild's Page One Award, the Washington State Governor's Award, and the Scripps-Howard Award. He was described as "the dean of true crime authors" by The Washington Post
. His crime studies remain on required reading lists in university criminology courses. In his obituary, The New York Times
described his work as "a genuine contribution to criminology and journalism alike."
Olsen lived on Bainbridge Island, Washington
, and died on July 16, 2002.
{http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/topic/article/Jack_Olsen/1900-01-01/2100-12-31/mdd/index.htm}
Journalist
A journalist collects and distributes news and other information. A journalist's work is referred to as journalism.A reporter is a type of journalist who researchs, writes, and reports on information to be presented in mass media, including print media , electronic media , and digital media A...
and author
Author
An author is broadly defined as "the person who originates or gives existence to anything" and that authorship determines responsibility for what is created. Narrowly defined, an author is the originator of any written work.-Legal significance:...
known for his thorough, scholarly approach to crime reporting. Olsen was Senior Editor and Chief for the Sun-Times in Chicago Illinois in 1954. He was Midwest bureau chief for Time
Time (magazine)
Time is an American news magazine. A European edition is published from London. Time Europe covers the Middle East, Africa and, since 2003, Latin America. An Asian edition is based in Hong Kong...
magazine and a senior editor for Sports Illustrated
Sports Illustrated
Sports Illustrated is an American sports media company owned by media conglomerate Time Warner. Its self titled magazine has over 3.5 million subscribers and is read by 23 million adults each week, including over 18 million men. It was the first magazine with circulation over one million to win the...
in 1961. He was also a regular contributor to other publications, including Fortune
Fortune (magazine)
Fortune is a global business magazine published by Time Inc. Founded by Henry Luce in 1930, the publishing business, consisting of Time, Life, Fortune, and Sports Illustrated, grew to become Time Warner. In turn, AOL grew as it acquired Time Warner in 2000 when Time Warner was the world's largest...
and Vanity Fair
Vanity Fair (magazine)
Vanity Fair is a magazine of pop culture, fashion, and current affairs published by Condé Nast. The present Vanity Fair has been published since 1983 and there have been editions for four European countries as well as the U.S. edition. This revived the title which had ceased publication in 1935...
.
Books by Olsen have sold 33 million copies. Several of his books examined the intersection of law and politics during the late 1960s-early 1970s. These include Last Man Standing: The Tragedy and Triumph of Geronimo Pratt, (Pratt
Geronimo Pratt
Geronimo Ji Jaga , also known as Geronimo ji-Jaga Pratt born: Elmer Pratt, was a high ranking member of the Black Panther Party...
, a leader of the Black Panther Party
Black Panther Party
The Black Panther Party wasan African-American revolutionary leftist organization. It was active in the United States from 1966 until 1982....
, was declared innocent and released from prison after serving 25 years on the perjured testimony
Perjury
Perjury, also known as forswearing, is the willful act of swearing a false oath or affirmation to tell the truth, whether spoken or in writing, concerning matters material to a judicial proceeding. That is, the witness falsely promises to tell the truth about matters which affect the outcome of the...
of a paid FBI informant
COINTELPRO
COINTELPRO was a series of covert, and often illegal, projects conducted by the United States Federal Bureau of Investigation aimed at surveilling, infiltrating, discrediting, and disrupting domestic political organizations.COINTELPRO tactics included discrediting targets through psychological...
), and The Bridge at Chappaquiddick, (examining the 1969 car crash and death
Ted Kennedy Chappaquiddick incident
The term "Chappaquiddick incident" refers to the circumstances involving the death of Mary Jo Kopechne, whose body was discovered underwater inside an automobile belonging to her driver, U.S. Senator Edward M. Kennedy. During the early morning hours of July 19, 1969, Kopechne's body and the car...
that damaged Sen. Edward Kennedy's
Ted Kennedy
Edward Moore "Ted" Kennedy was a United States Senator from Massachusetts and a member of the Democratic Party. Serving almost 47 years, he was the second most senior member of the Senate when he died and is the fourth-longest-serving senator in United States history...
political career). As Carl Bernstein
Carl Bernstein
Carl Bernstein is an American investigative journalist who, at The Washington Post, teamed up with Bob Woodward; the two did the majority of the most important news reporting on the Watergate scandal. These scandals led to numerous government investigations, the indictment of a vast number of...
and Bob Woodward
Bob Woodward
Robert Upshur Woodward is an American investigative journalist and non-fiction author. He has worked for The Washington Post since 1971 as a reporter, and is currently an associate editor of the Post....
write in their book All The President's Men
All the President's Men
All the President's Men is a 1974 non-fiction book by Carl Bernstein and Bob Woodward, two of the journalists investigating the first Watergate break-in and ensuing scandal for The Washington Post. The book chronicles the investigative reporting of Woodward and Bernstein from Woodward's initial...
, the book was one of several checked out of the White House
White House
The White House is the official residence and principal workplace of the president of the United States. Located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW in Washington, D.C., the house was designed by Irish-born James Hoban, and built between 1792 and 1800 of white-painted Aquia sandstone in the Neoclassical...
library by E. Howard Hunt
E. Howard Hunt
Everette Howard Hunt, Jr. was an American intelligence officer and writer. Hunt served for many years as a CIA officer. Hunt, with G...
in the course of gathering information about Kennedy to potentially be used against him in the 1972 presidential campaign.
Many of Olsen's most popular works investigated the life histories of violent career criminals. These include studies of serial rapists such as Arthur Shawcross
Arthur Shawcross
Arthur John Shawcross was an American serial killer, also known as The Genesee River Killer in Rochester, New York...
(The Misbegotten Son) and George Russell, (Charmer), as well as serial killers (Hastened to the Grave: The Gypsy Murder Investigation). Discussing his life-long interest in crime journalism, Olsen described a field trip that his college criminology
Criminology
Criminology is the scientific study of the nature, extent, causes, and control of criminal behavior in both the individual and in society...
class took to a prison
Prison
A prison is a place in which people are physically confined and, usually, deprived of a range of personal freedoms. Imprisonment or incarceration is a legal penalty that may be imposed by the state for the commission of a crime...
:
“Olsen's work had social conscience. At Sports Illustrated in 1968, he shook the athletic establishment with a series about black athletes and the discrimination they faced in professional and college sports.” http://www.jackolsen.com/
Olsen's journalism was recognized with the National Headliner Award, the Chicago Newspaper Guild's Page One Award, the Washington State Governor's Award, and the Scripps-Howard Award. He was described as "the dean of true crime authors" by The Washington Post
The Washington Post
The Washington Post is Washington, D.C.'s largest newspaper and its oldest still-existing paper, founded in 1877. Located in the capital of the United States, The Post has a particular emphasis on national politics. D.C., Maryland, and Virginia editions are printed for daily circulation...
. His crime studies remain on required reading lists in university criminology courses. In his obituary, The New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
described his work as "a genuine contribution to criminology and journalism alike."
Olsen lived on Bainbridge Island, Washington
Bainbridge Island, Washington
Bainbridge Island is a city in Kitsap County, Washington, United States, and the name of the island in Puget Sound on which the city is situated...
, and died on July 16, 2002.
Fiction
- Alphabet Jackson (1974)
- Massy's Game (1976)
- The Secret of Fire 5 (1977)
- Night Watch (1979)
- Missing Persons (1981)
- Have You Seen My Son? (1982)
Games and Sports
- The Mad World of Bridge (1960)
- The Climb up to Hell (1962, 1998)
- Black is Best: The Riddle of Cassius Clay (1967) (biography of Muhammed Ali)
- The Black Athlete: A Shameful Story; The myth of integration in American sports (1968)
- Better Scramble Than Lose (1969) biography of Fran TarkentonFran TarkentonFrancis Asbury "Fran" Tarkenton is a former professional football player, TV personality, and computer software executive....
- Massy's Game. Playboy Press, 1976
History, Politics, and Sociology
- Night of the GrizzliesNight of the GrizzliesNight of the Grizzlies is a book, published in 1969, by author Jack Olsen, which details events of August 13, 1967, when two young women were separately attacked in Glacier National Park, Montana by grizzly bears. Both women, Julie Helgeson, 19, of Albert Lea, Minnesota and Michele Koons, 19, of...
(1969) - Silence on Monte Sole (1968)
- Aphrodite: Desperate Mission (1970)
- The Bridge at Chappaquiddick (1970)
- Slaughter the Animals, Poison the Earth (1971)
- The Girls in the Office (1972)
- The Girls on the Campus (1974)
- Sweet Street: The Autobiography of an American Honkytonk Scene (1974)
- Last Man Standing: The Tragedy and Triumph of Geronimo Pratt' (2000)
Crime
- The Man with the Candy: The Story of the Houston Mass Murders (1974)
- Son: A Psychopath and His Victims (1983) Edgar Award winnerEdgar AwardThe Edgar Allan Poe Awards , named after Edgar Allan Poe, are presented every year by the Mystery Writers of America...
- Give a Boy a GunClaude DallasClaude Lafayette Dallas, Jr. was a self-styled mountain man. The son of a dairy farmer, he spent his early years in Luce County, Michigan, later moving to rural Morrow County, Ohio where he liked to trap and hunt game. Dallas graduated from Mount Gilead High School, Mount Gilead, Ohio in 1967...
(1985) - Cold Kill: The True Story of a Murderous Love (1987)
- Doc: The Rape of the Town of Lovell (1989) Edgar Award winnerEdgar AwardThe Edgar Allan Poe Awards , named after Edgar Allan Poe, are presented every year by the Mystery Writers of America...
- Predator: Rape, Madness, and Injustice in Seattle (1991) American Mystery Award winner
- The Misbegotten Son: A Serial Killer and His Victims (1993)
- Charmer: A Ladies' Man and his Victims (1994)
- Salt of the Earth (1996)
- Hastened to the Grave (1998)
- I: The Creation of a Serial Killer (2002)
External links
- Jack Olsen Special Collection. Archive of author's personal papers, University of Oregon Libraries.
- The Psychopaths Among Us, Andrew VachssAndrew VachssAndrew Henry Vachss is an American crime fiction author, child protection consultant, and attorney exclusively representing children and youths...
, New York Times Book Review, March 14, 1993. Review of Olsen's book, The Misbegotten Son. - Jack Olsen, Author's biographical entry at HistoryLink.
- The Jack Olsen Homepage.
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