Interesting guy, Mr. Olmstead. Started off as a Civil War journalist. Went on to be executive secretary of the US Sanitary Commission. He was a founding member of the Union League Club in, you guessed it... 1863. Between that and designing the capitol grounds, he went out to California to serve as superintendent for a mining company/town. He had no experience and bankrupted it by 1865, then went off to design the capitol grounds. Got to wonder if he was sent to bankrupt the operation on purpose.

ETA: Union League club ties him directly to many people, including JP Morgan.

Interesting guy, Mr. Olmstead. Started off as a Civil War journalist. Went on to be executive secretary of the US Sanitary Commission.

He was a founding member of the Union League Club in, you guessed it... 1863.

Between that and designing the capitol grounds, he went out to California to serve as superintendent for a mining company/town. He had no experience and bankrupted it by 1865, then went off to design the capitol grounds. Got to wonder if he was sent to bankrupt the operation on purpose.