Lewis P. Olds was a North Carolina

North Carolina

North Carolina is a state located in the southeastern United States. The state borders South Carolina and Georgia to the south, Tennessee to the west and Virginia to the north. North Carolina contains 100 counties. Its capital is Raleigh, and its largest city is Charlotte...

 lawyer and politician who served as North Carolina Attorney General

North Carolina attorney general

The Attorney General of North Carolina is the head of the state's Department of Justice and provides legal representation and advice to all state agencies. He or she does not have the authority to prosecute specific crimes unless requested to do so by a local district attorney...

 in 1869-1870.

In 1868, he was offered the presidency

Leaders of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Leaders of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill were known as Presidents until the formation of the Consolidated University of North Carolina in 1932. Between 1934 and 1945, the title Dean of Administration was used, which in turn became Chancellor...

 of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill is a public research university located in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, United States...

. Kemp P. Battle

Kemp P. Battle

Kemp Plummer Battle served as North Carolina State Treasurer and as president of the University of North Carolina in the nineteenth century.Battle graduated from the University in 1849 as the valedictorian of his class...

 wrote, "As there was no treasury in sight from which a salary could be drawn, Mr. Olds wisely declined [the offer of the presidency]." According to Battle, Olds was the son-in-law of then-Governor William W. Holden. He represented Wake County

Wake County, North Carolina

Wake County is a county located in the U.S. state of North Carolina. As of the 2010 census, the population was 900,993 making it North Carolina's second most populated county...

 in the North Carolina Senate

North Carolina Senate

The North Carolina Senate is one of the two houses of the North Carolina General Assembly.Its prerogatives and powers are similar to those of the other house, the House of Representatives. Its members do, however, represent districts that are larger than those of their colleagues in the House. The...

 in 1870-71, when he voted against removing his father-in-law from office.

President Ulysses S. Grant

Ulysses S. Grant

Ulysses S. Grant was the 18th President of the United States as well as military commander during the Civil War and post-war Reconstruction periods. Under Grant's command, the Union Army defeated the Confederate military and ended the Confederate States of America...

 appointed Olds to be U.S. consul

Consul (representative)

The political title Consul is used for the official representatives of the government of one state in the territory of another, normally acting to assist and protect the citizens of the consul's own country, and to facilitate trade and friendship between the peoples of the two countries...

 to St. Helena., where he served in 1876 and 1877.