20th West Virginia Governor. He graduated from Washington and Lee University in 1918 and joined the Army for World War I, attaining the rank of First Lieutenant in the Coast Artillery. He received his law degree from Washington and Lee in 1923, served as a Professor of Law there from 1923 to 1925, and then established a law practice in Fayetteville. In 1932 he won election as state Attorney General, serving one term, 1933 to 1937. A conservative Democrat, in 1936 he was the party's successful candidate for Governor, serving the one term then allowed under the state constitution, 1937 to 1941. During Holt's administration, the Works Progress Administration (WPA) began work on a history of West Virginia, which included details about the Hawks Nest incident, in which contractors building an electric plant in Fayette County exposed workers to silica dust, with 450 to 800 dying from silicosis, and Holt's objections to mention of it delayed publication until after he left office. After his term Holt returned to practicing law in Charleston. From 1947 to 1953 he was General Counsel for Union Carbide in New York City, after which he resumed practicing in Charleston. From 1940 to 1969 Holt served as a Trustee of Washington and Lee University, and he also served as President of the Charleston Area Medical Center and the West Virginia Chamber of Commerce.
20th West Virginia Governor. He graduated from Washington and Lee University in 1918 and joined the Army for World War I, attaining the rank of First Lieutenant in the Coast Artillery. He received his law degree from Washington and Lee in 1923, served as a Professor of Law there from 1923 to 1925, and then established a law practice in Fayetteville. In 1932 he won election as state Attorney General, serving one term, 1933 to 1937. A conservative Democrat, in 1936 he was the party's successful candidate for Governor, serving the one term then allowed under the state constitution, 1937 to 1941. During Holt's administration, the Works Progress Administration (WPA) began work on a history of West Virginia, which included details about the Hawks Nest incident, in which contractors building an electric plant in Fayette County exposed workers to silica dust, with 450 to 800 dying from silicosis, and Holt's objections to mention of it delayed publication until after he left office. After his term Holt returned to practicing law in Charleston. From 1947 to 1953 he was General Counsel for Union Carbide in New York City, after which he resumed practicing in Charleston. From 1940 to 1969 Holt served as a Trustee of Washington and Lee University, and he also served as President of the Charleston Area Medical Center and the West Virginia Chamber of Commerce.
Bio by: Bill McKern
Family Members
Advertisement
See more Holt memorials in:
Records on Ancestry
Advertisement
