Editing Barbara Olson

{{short description|American lawyer (1955–2001)}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=February 2021}}
{{more citations needed|date=November 2020}}
{{Infobox person
|name         = Barbara Olson
|image        = Olson.barbara.jpg
|birth_name   = Barbara Kay Bracher
|birth_date   = {{birth date|1955|12|27}}
|birth_place  = [[Houston]], [[Texas]], U.S.
|death_date   = {{nowrap|{{death date and age|2001|9|11|1955|12|27}}}}
|death_place  = [[Arlington County, Virginia]], U.S.
|death_cause  = [[American Airlines Flight 77|Plane crash]] as part of the [[September 11 terrorist attacks]]
|years_active = 1990–2001
|education    = [[University of St. Thomas (Texas)|University of Saint Thomas]] ([[Bachelor of Arts|BA]])<br>[[Yeshiva University]] ([[Juris Doctor|JD]])
|party        = [[Republican Party (United States)|Republican]]
|occupation   = {{Hlist|Political commentator|lawyer}}
|spouse       = {{marriage|[[Theodore Olson]]|1996}}
}}
'''Barbara Kay Olson''' (née '''Bracher'''; December 27, 1955{{spaced ndash}}September 11, 2001) was an American lawyer and [[conservative]] television commentator who worked for [[CNN]], [[Fox News Channel]], and several other outlets.<ref>Lewis, Neil A. (September 13, 2001). [https://www.nytimes.com/2001/09/13/us/barbara-olson-45-advocate-and-conservative-commentator.html?ref=barbaraolson "Barbara Olson, 45, Advocate And Conservative Commentator"]. ''[[The New York Times]]''.</ref> She was a passenger on [[American Airlines Flight 77]] en route to a taping of [[Bill Maher]]'s television show ''[[Politically Incorrect]]'' when it was flown into [[the Pentagon]] in the [[September 11 attacks]].<ref name="youtube.com">{{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7_2HsqxuUH4&t=1m46s| archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211123/7_2HsqxuUH4| archive-date=2021-11-23 | url-status=live|title=What Barbara Olson Knew|last=composerguy|date=April 7, 2008|via=YouTube}}{{cbignore}}</ref>

==Early life==
Olson was born Barbara Kay Bracher in [[Houston]], [[Texas]], on December 27, 1955. Her older sister, Toni Bracher-Lawrence, was a member of the [[Houston City Council]] from 2004 to 2010. She graduated from [[Waltrip High School]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://hs.houstonisd.org/WaltripHS/TriviaFolder/trivia.htm|title=Waltrip Trivia Page|publisher=[[Waltrip High School]]|date=February 22, 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120831194046/http://hs.houstonisd.org/WaltripHS/TriviaFolder/trivia.htm |archive-date=August 31, 2012}}</ref>

==Personal life==
She married [[Theodore Olson]] in 1996, becoming his third wife.<ref name=napanuptials>{{cite news |title= Napa Nuptials for Olson and His Lady |url= https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/10/22/AR2006102200052.html?nav=rss_opinion/columns |date= October 22, 2006 |access-date= August 19, 2009 |newspaper= [[The Washington Post]] |first1= Amy |last1= Argetsinger |first2= Roxanne |last2= Roberts |name-list-style= amp |author-link1= Amy Argetsinger |author-link2= Roxanne Roberts |department= The Reliable Source }}</ref>

Olson was a frequent critic of the [[Presidency of Bill Clinton|Bill Clinton administration]] and wrote a book about then–[[First Lady of the United States|First Lady]] [[Hillary Clinton]], ''Hell to Pay: The Unfolding Story of Hillary Rodham Clinton'' (1999). Olson's second book, ''The Final Days: The Last, Desperate Abuses of Power by the Clinton White House'' was published posthumously.<ref>{{cite book | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=xANcUb7FY1UC | title=The final days: the last, desperate abuses of power by the Clinton White House | publisher=Regnery Pub. | author=Olson, Barbara | date=October 25, 2001| isbn=9780895261670 }}</ref>

==Death and legacy==
[[File:12.6.11BarbaraOlsonPanelS-70ByLuigiNovi2.jpg|thumb|right|Olson's name on Panel S-70 of the [[National September 11 Memorial]]’s South Pool, with other passengers of [[Flight 77]].]]
Olson was a passenger on [[American Airlines Flight 77]], on her way to a taping of ''[[Politically Incorrect]]'' in Los Angeles, when it was flown into [[the Pentagon]] in the [[September 11 attacks]].

Her original plan had been to fly to California on September 10, but she waited until the next day so that she could wake up with her husband on his birthday, September 11.<ref name="youtube.com"/> At the [[National September 11 Memorial]], Olson's name is located on Panel S-70 of the South Pool, along with those of other passengers of Flight 77.<ref>[http://names.911memorial.org/#lang=en_US&page=person&id=149 South Pool: Panel S-70: Barbara K. Olson] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130727095710/http://names.911memorial.org/ |date=July 27, 2013 }}. Memorial Guide: [[National 9/11 Memorial]]. Retrieved December 11, 2011.</ref>

Three months after the attacks, Olson's remains were identified. She was buried at her family's retreat in Wisconsin.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/reliable-source/post/ted-olson-on-loss-and-love-in-the-decade-since-911/2011/09/09/gIQAlqKDLK_blog.html|newspaper=[[The Washington Post]]|title=Ted Olson on loss and love in the decade since 9/11|date=September 11, 2011|accessdate=September 13, 2021|archivedate=September 12, 2011|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20110912140428/https://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/reliable-source/post/ted-olson-on-loss-and-love-in-the-decade-since-911/2011/09/09/gIQAlqKDLK_blog.html}}</ref>

Since November of 2001, the [[Federalist Society]] has given a lecture honoring her at their annual National Lawyers Convention.<ref>{{cite web |title=Barbara K. Olson Memorial Lecture Series |url=https://fedsoc.org/barbara-k-olson-memorial-lecture-series |publisher=[[Federalist Society]] |access-date=24 April 2025}}</ref>

== In popular culture ==
*Canadian actress Marsha Mason portrayed Barbara Olson in the Canadian TV series ''[[Mayday (Canadian TV series)|Mayday]]'' [[List of Mayday episodes#Season 16 (2016–17)|Season 16: Episode 2 (2016)]] called "9/11: The Pentagon Attack" and ''[[Mayday (Canadian TV series)|Air Crash Investigation Special Report]]'' [[List of Mayday episodes#The Accident Files#Season 2 (2019)|Season 2: Episode 1 (2019)]] called "Headline News".

==Books==
*{{cite book|isbn=0-89526-274-6|title=Hell to Pay: The Unfolding Story of Hillary Rodham Clinton|last1=Olson|first1=Barbara|date=November 1999|publisher=Regnery Pub. }}
*{{Cite book|isbn=0-89526-167-7|title=The Final Days: The Last, Desperate Abuses of Power by the Clinton White House|last1=Olson|first1=Barbara|date=October 2001|publisher=Regnery Pub. }}

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
{{Commons category|Barbara Olson}}
* {{IMDb name}}
* {{C-SPAN}}
* {{Find a Grave}}
* [http://edition.cnn.com/2001/US/09/11/pentagon.olson/ Wife of Solicitor General alerted him of hijacking from plane]
* [https://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/wp-dyn?pagename=article&node=&contentId=A37063-2001Sep15&notFound=true Barbara Olson Mourned at Arlington Service]{{dead link|date=January 2025|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20060828235527/http://cf.newsday.com/911/victimsearch.cfm?id=65 Barbara Olson: A Sparkling Celebrity 'Full of Energy'] Newsday.com-Victims Search
* [[Alfred S. Regnery]] (September 17, 2001). [https://web.archive.org/web/20071214033951/http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qa3827/is_200109/ai_n8954773 "Barbara Olson, RIP"]. ''[[Human Events]]''/BNet Research Center.

{{Authority control}}
{{Casualties of the September 11 attacks}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Olson, Barbara}}
[[Category:1955 births]]
[[Category:2001 deaths]]
[[Category:20th-century American lawyers]]
[[Category:20th-century American non-fiction writers]]
[[Category:20th-century American women lawyers]]
[[Category:20th-century American women writers]]
[[Category:21st-century American lawyers]]
[[Category:21st-century American non-fiction writers]]
[[Category:21st-century American women lawyers]]
[[Category:21st-century American women writers]]
[[Category:American Airlines Flight 77 victims]]
[[Category:American political commentators]]
[[Category:American political writers]]
[[Category:American women television personalities]]
[[Category:Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law alumni]]
[[Category:Lawyers from Washington, D.C.]]
[[Category:Lawyers from Houston]]
[[Category:People murdered in Virginia]]
[[Category:Terrorism deaths in Virginia]]
[[Category:University of St. Thomas (Texas) alumni]]
[[Category:Washington, D.C., Republicans]]
[[Category:Wilmer Cutler Pickering Hale and Dorr associates]]
[[Category:Television personalities from Texas]]
[[Category:Yeshiva University alumni]]