Charles S. (Charles Sumner) Olcott

Born in Terre Haute, Indiana, Charles Sumner Olcott was an American nonfiction writer who studied at DePauw University and later built a long career in publishing. He worked for Houghton Mifflin, where he served as general manager of the company’s private library department.

He is remembered chiefly for The Life of William McKinley, a substantial two-volume biography that helped secure his reputation as a serious historical writer. His other books show a broader set of interests, including travel, literature, and photography, with titles such as The Country of Sir Walter Scott and The Lure of the Camera.

Olcott died in 1935. Although he is not widely known today, his work reflects an era when publishers, literary culture, and historical biography were closely connected, and his writing still offers a window into those worlds.