Franklin Walter Olin, better known as F.W., was born on January 9, 1860 in Woodford, Vermont.  He attended Cornell University where he studied civil engineering and played on the baseball team as an outfielder.  Olin would go on to play two seasons in the American Association before retiring.  He graduated from school in 1886 and eventually followed in his father’s footsteps, building a mill construction business, his first of which opened in 1892 in East Alton, Illinois.  In 1898, Olin founded the Western Cartridge Company which manufactured ammunition.  Olin also bought the Winchester Arms Repeating Company in 1938, but retired from managing it after World War Two.  He had three sons, Franklin W. Jr., John, and Spencer, with his wife since 1889, Mary Mott Moulton.  In 1951, Olin died, leaving some of his fortune to the F.W. Olin Foundation which gave money for many buildings in his name across college campuses in the U.S.  It even began a college in his name, The F.W. Olin College of Engineering, in 1997.

"Franklin W. Olin." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 29 Jan. 2014. Web. 31 Jan. 2014. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Franklin_W._Olin>.

"Profiles." F.W. Olin Hall. Gustavus Adolphus College, n.d. Web. 31 Jan. 2014. <https://gustavus.edu/profiles/location/F.W.%252520Olin%252520Hall>.