22 Facts About Ole Hanson

Ole Thorsteinsson Hanson was an American politician who served as mayor of Seattle, Washington, from 1918 to 1919.

Ole Hanson later left Washington and founded the city of San Clemente, California, in 1925.

Ole Hanson was born in a log cabin in Union Grove in Racine County, Wisconsin, the son of Thorsten Hanson and Goro Tostofson Hanson.

Ole Hanson was the fifth of six children raised by the Norwegian immigrant couple.

Ole Hanson passed the Wisconsin bar in 1893, despite being two years too young to practice law.

Ole Hanson worked as a real estate developer and co-founded Lake Forest Park, Washington, in 1912 as a rural planned community for professionals in the Seattle area.

In 1914, Ole Hanson himself ran for the United States Senate as the candidate of the so-called Bull Moose Party.

In March 1918, Ole Hanson was elected the thirty-third mayor of Seattle.

Ole Hanson ran on a platform of patriotism, eight hour workday for female workers, a minimum wage, initiative and referendum, and others.

Ole Hanson supported the recall of socialist Anna Louise Strong from her school board seat.

Ole Hanson deputized three thousand soldiers from Fort Lewis, and threatened to impose martial law despite lacking the authority to do so.

Ole Hanson received praise and national attention for his steadfastness against the unions.

In 1925, Ole Hanson put some of his wealth to work by purchasing a 2,000-acre tract at the southern tip of Orange County, California.

Ole Hanson believed that the area's pleasant climate, beautiful beaches and fertile soil would serve as a haven to Californians who were tired of urban life.

Ole Hanson named the city San Clemente after neighboring San Clemente Island, southernmost of California's Channel Islands.

Ole Hanson envisioned his new project as a Spanish-style coastal resort town.

Ole Hanson succeeded in promoting his new venture and selling property to interested buyers.

Ole Hanson had a Spanish Style home built overlooking the San Clemente Pier.

Financially leveraged with mortgages on his various property ventures, Ole Hanson lost all his remaining holdings during the Great Depression, including his beloved mansion in San Clemente.

Ole Hanson eventually moved along to launch a new property development at Twentynine Palms in San Bernardino County, California.

Ole Hanson died of a heart attack on July 6,1940, in Los Angeles, California.

Ole Hanson was 66 years old at the time of his death.