Preston County, West Virginia Biography of HON. JOHN HOMER HOLT This biography was submitted by Valerie Crook, E-mail address: ********************************************** ***The submitter does not have a connection*** ********to the subject of this sketch.******** ********************************************** This file may be freely copied by individuals and non-profit organizations for their private use. All other rights reserved. Any other use, including publication, storage in a retrieval system, or transmission by electronic, mechanical, or other means requires the written approval of the file's author. This file is part of the WVGenWeb Archives. If you arrived here inside a frame or from a link from somewhere else, our front door is at http://www.usgwarchives.net/wv/wvfiles.htm The History of West Virginia, Old and New Published 1923, The American Historical Society, Inc., Chicago and New York, Volume II, pg. 586 Preston HON. JOHN HOMER HOLT was one of West Virginia's strong and able lawyers and jurists, and for a number of years was Circuit Judge of the old Third District, now included in the Fifteenth District. A son of Alfred T. and Maria A. (Stone) Holt, he was born in Gilmer County June 19, 1857. He attended the common schools, the Preston Academy at Kingwood, and taught for five years, three of them at Kingwood. He began the study of law in the office of William E. Brown and George H. McGrew at Kingwood, finished his studies in the office of James A. Brown, and was admitted to the Kingwood bar in 1878. He began practice among the friends and neighbors he had known so long and so intimately, but in 1881 he removed his office to Grafton. He continued his practice in that city except for two years while engaged in special and important duties as a counselor and advocate at Wash- ington, D. C. In politics he was stanchly identified with the protection principle for American industry, and for many years had a prominent part in the councils and organization of the republican party. Soon after reaching his majority in Pres- ton County he was elected a member of the Legislature in 1878, and he was a delegate to many of the early state con- ventions. He was chairman of the state convention at Huntington in 1892 that named Thomas E. Davis of Grafton for governor. He was also a prominent figure in the Elkins convention which nominated Alston G. Dayton for Congress in 1894. He was also chairman of the republican convention that nominated George W. Atkinson, the first republican governor since the Civil war. As a speaker Judge Holt proved himself effective at all times, and was considered almost invincible as a debater. His knowledge of politics and economic history put him at an advantage over his adversaries, and his good address and pleasing voice supple- mented his logical and analytical mind. Judge Holt was nominated and elected Circuit Judge of the Third Circuit in 1896 and in 1904 was re-elected. After retiring from the bench he remained a resident of Grafton until his death.