Roy Olmstead
Encyclopedia
Roy Olmstead was one of the most successful and best-known bootleg
gers in the Pacific Northwest
region of the U.S.. A former lieutenant
in the Seattle, Washington
, police department, he began to bootleg part-time. Following his arrest for that crime, he lost his job in law enforcement and turned to illegally importing and distributing alcohol from Canada as a full-time and highly profitable occupation.
, gambling
, gunrunning
, and narcotics trafficking. Olmstead did not engage in these activities and, as a result, many did not regard him as a "true criminal".
KFQX's legacy is tangled with several different Seattle radio stations. After the raid the station was leased to Birt Fisher, who changed the call letters to KTCL. After Roy Olmstead's liquor trial ended, he sold the station to Vincent Kraft who changed the call sign to KXA and moved the frequency from 570 to 770, the dial position now occupied by KTTH
. Soon, KVI moved to 570. Birt Fisher was already in the process of starting up KOMO Radio
when the lease on his previous station ended. Studios for KFQX were built in the Smith Tower
, but were seldom used for that station before it changed hands. They were later used by KEVR, which later became KING-AM, broadcasting at 1090 AM, a frequency now occupied by KPTK
.
. He appealed his case, arguing that the wiretapping evidence used against him constituted a violation of his constitutional rights to privacy and against self-incrimination. However, in 1928 the U.S. Supreme Court upheld the conviction in the landmark case of Olmstead v. United States
.
Correctional Institute. He then became a carpenter. On 25 December 1935, President
Franklin Delano Roosevelt granted him a full presidential pardon
. Besides restoring his constitutional rights, the pardon remitted him $10,300.00 in costs. While in prison, Mr. Olmstead became a Christian Science
practitioner, and later worked with prison inmates on an anti-alcoholism agenda for decades until his death in 1966 at the age of 79.
Rum-running
Rum-running, also known as bootlegging, is the illegal business of transporting alcoholic beverages where such transportation is forbidden by law...
gers in the Pacific Northwest
Pacific Northwest
The Pacific Northwest is a region in northwestern North America, bounded by the Pacific Ocean to the west and, loosely, by the Rocky Mountains on the east. Definitions of the region vary and there is no commonly agreed upon boundary, even among Pacific Northwesterners. A common concept of the...
region of the U.S.. A former lieutenant
Lieutenant
A lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer in many nations' armed forces. Typically, the rank of lieutenant in naval usage, while still a junior officer rank, is senior to the army rank...
in the Seattle, Washington
Seattle, Washington
Seattle is the county seat of King County, Washington. With 608,660 residents as of the 2010 Census, Seattle is the largest city in the Northwestern United States. The Seattle metropolitan area of about 3.4 million inhabitants is the 15th largest metropolitan area in the country...
, police department, he began to bootleg part-time. Following his arrest for that crime, he lost his job in law enforcement and turned to illegally importing and distributing alcohol from Canada as a full-time and highly profitable occupation.
Bootlegging operations
Known on the West Coast as "the Good Bootlegger", Olmstead did not engage in the practice of diluting his contraband with toxic industrial grade chemicals in order to increase his profits. To most other bootleggers, smuggling alcohol was but one facet of their criminal organization, and many were involved in prostitutionProstitution
Prostitution is the act or practice of providing sexual services to another person in return for payment. The person who receives payment for sexual services is called a prostitute and the person who receives such services is known by a multitude of terms, including a "john". Prostitution is one of...
, gambling
Gambling
Gambling is the wagering of money or something of material value on an event with an uncertain outcome with the primary intent of winning additional money and/or material goods...
, gunrunning
Gunrunning
Arms trafficking, also known as gunrunning, is the illegal trafficking or smuggling of contraband weapons or ammunition.The 1997 Report of the UN Panel of Governmental Experts on Small Arms provides a more refined and precise definition, which has become internationally accepted...
, and narcotics trafficking. Olmstead did not engage in these activities and, as a result, many did not regard him as a "true criminal".
KFQX Radio
In midsummer 1924, Roy and Elsie Olmstead started radio station KFQX. Elsie, Roy's new wife), for the most part ran the station. Typical of stations of the time, it had a variety format. The most popular program was "Aunt Vivian," where Mrs. Olmstead as "Aunt Vivian" read bedtime stories for children, beginning at 7:15 at night. This led to a popular legend that Elsie inserted coded language into her stories as signals for her husband's bootlegging network. Elsie was broadcasting from her home as usual on November 17, 1924, when the home was raided by government agents and put off the air.KFQX's legacy is tangled with several different Seattle radio stations. After the raid the station was leased to Birt Fisher, who changed the call letters to KTCL. After Roy Olmstead's liquor trial ended, he sold the station to Vincent Kraft who changed the call sign to KXA and moved the frequency from 570 to 770, the dial position now occupied by KTTH
KTTH
KTTH is a conservative talk radio station, owned by Bonneville International, broadcasting at 770 kHz in Seattle, Washington.-Programming:...
. Soon, KVI moved to 570. Birt Fisher was already in the process of starting up KOMO Radio
KOMO (AM)
KOMO is a radio station based in Seattle, Washington. Its format is primarily news. From 2003 to 2008, it was also the flagship station of the Seattle Mariners Radio Network...
when the lease on his previous station ended. Studios for KFQX were built in the Smith Tower
Smith Tower
Smith Tower is a skyscraper in Pioneer Square in Seattle, Washington. Completed in 1914, the 38 storey, tower is the oldest skyscraper in the city and was the tallest office building west of the Mississippi River until the Kansas City Power & Light Building was built in 1931...
, but were seldom used for that station before it changed hands. They were later used by KEVR, which later became KING-AM, broadcasting at 1090 AM, a frequency now occupied by KPTK
KPTK
KPTK is a Progressive talk radio station based in Seattle, Washington, broadcasting at 1090 kHz.Billing itself as "Seattle's Progressive Talk," KPTK broadcasts syndicated progressive/liberal talk programs hosted by personalities such as Ed Schultz, Mike Malloy, Randi Rhodes, Thom Hartmann, Rachel...
.
Olmstead v. United States
Largely on the basis of evidence obtained through police wiretapping of his telephone, Olmstead was arrested and convicted for violating the National Prohibition Act and for conspiracyConspiracy (crime)
In the criminal law, a conspiracy is an agreement between two or more persons to break the law at some time in the future, and, in some cases, with at least one overt act in furtherance of that agreement...
. He appealed his case, arguing that the wiretapping evidence used against him constituted a violation of his constitutional rights to privacy and against self-incrimination. However, in 1928 the U.S. Supreme Court upheld the conviction in the landmark case of Olmstead v. United States
Olmstead v. United States
Olmstead v. United States, , was a decision of the Supreme Court of the United States, in which the Court reviewed whether the use of wiretapped private telephone conversations, obtained by federal agents without judicial approval and subsequently used as evidence, constituted a violation of the...
.
Prison and later life
Olmstead spent his four-year prison sentence at the McNeil IslandMcNeil Island
McNeil Island is an island in western Puget Sound, located just west of Steilacoom, Washington, with a land area of 17.177 km² . It lies just north of Anderson Island. Fox Island is to the north, across Carr Inlet. To the west McNeil Island is separated from Key Peninsula by Pitt Passage. The...
Correctional Institute. He then became a carpenter. On 25 December 1935, President
President of the United States
The President of the United States of America is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president leads the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces....
Franklin Delano Roosevelt granted him a full presidential pardon
Pardon
Clemency means the forgiveness of a crime or the cancellation of the penalty associated with it. It is a general concept that encompasses several related procedures: pardoning, commutation, remission and reprieves...
. Besides restoring his constitutional rights, the pardon remitted him $10,300.00 in costs. While in prison, Mr. Olmstead became a Christian Science
Christian Science
Christian Science is a system of thought and practice derived from the writings of Mary Baker Eddy and the Bible. It is practiced by members of The First Church of Christ, Scientist as well as some others who are nonmembers. Its central texts are the Bible and the Christian Science textbook,...
practitioner, and later worked with prison inmates on an anti-alcoholism agenda for decades until his death in 1966 at the age of 79.