newspaperman, b. Janesville. He moved to Monroe with his parents in 1881. He learned the printing trade in his father's shop, and from 1888 to 1893 worked as a printer for various newspapers in Janesville, Madison, and Milwaukee. He began his newspaper career in Monroe in 1893, and in 1898 established the Monroe Evening Times, serving as its editor and publisher until his death. He was an early supporter of Robert M. La Follette, Sr. (q.v.), and later became an independent Republican. Odell was postmaster of Monroe (1910-1925), and for many years a director of the First National Bank of Monroe. Through his newspaper, Odell was instrumental in promoting Monroe as the "Swiss Cheese Capital of the U.S.A." He was the author of Swiss Cheese Industry (1936). F. L. Holmes, et al., eds., Wis. (5 vols., Chicago, 1946); Monroe Evening Times, Jan. 19, 1953; Madison Wis. State journal, Jan. 22, 1953.

The Wisconsin Historical Society has manuscripts related to this topic. See the catalog description of the Emery A. Odell Papers for details.

View newspaper clippings at Wisconsin Local History and Biography Articles.

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[Source: Dictionary of Wisconsin biography]