Renowned lawyer Ted Olson who fought for same-sex marriage passed away on November 13, 2024, at the age of 84 due to a stroke. His firm Gibson Dunn where he had worked since 1965, shared the news of his passing.
He represented George W. Bush in the 2000 Florida election dispute, which reached the Supreme Court. From 2001 to 2004, Olson served as U.S. Solicitor General under President Bush.
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In more recent years, Olson represented high-profile clients such as quarterback Tom Brady during the 2016 "Deflategate" scandal and technology giant Apple in its legal dispute with the FBI over unlocking the phone of a shooter responsible for killing 14 people in San Bernardino, California, in 2015.
Olson’s personal life was marked by tragedy when his third wife, Barbara Olson, a conservative legal analyst, lost her life on September 11, 2001. She was aboard American Airlines Flight 77, which crashed into the Pentagon. Ted Olson married his fourth wife Lady Evelyn Booth in 2006.
Lady Booth previously practiced tax law in New York and Louisville, KY, and co-founded Meridian Home Medical, LLC in 1995. Since 2009, she has actively supported marriage equality alongside her husband.
Lady Booth married Ted Olson more than four years after they started dating
Mrs. Olson was named after her great-aunt Lady Jane Helm, a successful businesswoman from rural Tennessee. She embraced the name, though it proved challenging when she moved north for graduate school.
She described herself as an “over-idealist” and shared that friends once doubted she would never settle down. However, after a first date at L’Auberge Chez François near Washington, a second date at the Kentucky Derby, and a rainy bike ride in Wisconsin, Lady Booth realized at 41 that she had found an unexpected partner. The couple married four and a half years after that first date.
In an interview shortly before Chief Judge Vaughn R. Walker ruled on August 4 that Proposition 8 was unconstitutional, Ted Olson noted Lady’s unwavering support, her views, ideas, and approach had greatly influenced him.
According to The New York Times, Lady Booth is known for her enthusiastic, nerdy personality, often sharing daily emails from the courtroom titled “Notes From the Front Row” that included detailed insights and genuine reflections. She had a lighthearted way of discussing topics like tax policy, often punctuating her sentences with "gosh" and showing warm appreciation for nearly everyone in her circle.
A peek into how Ted Olson helped in making same-sex marriage a constitutional right
In 2009, Ted Olson surprised many by joining a lawsuit against California over Proposition 8, the 2008 ballot initiative banning same-sex marriage. Initially, some gay rights activists suspected his involvement aimed to undermine the case, while opponents sent him homophobic messages.
According to The New York Times, Ted Olson expressed frustration that people couldn’t accept his stance without speculating he had a personal connection. He selected four appealing clients, a gay and a lesbian couple, and arranged for a documentary crew to follow their journey through the legal proceedings. In 2013, they achieved a Supreme Court victory, and two years later, the court recognized gay marriage as a constitutional right.
Olson’s full name was Theodore Bevry Olson. He was born on September 11, 1940, in Chicago. His father, Lester Olson, worked as an engineer for United Airlines, and his mother, Yvonne Bevry Olson, was a poet and teacher.
After completing college, Ted Olson attended law school at the University of California, Berkeley, where he was among the few students actively campaigning for Republican Senator Barry Goldwater's presidential run in 1964.
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