Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1894-08-01
4 Very Interesting Career.

and informed of his death.
Very Interesting Career.
Although Judge Holt has lived in retire
ment for many years. and has been So
quiet in his movements that he has been
almost lost sight of. yet he was at one time
a prominent figure in public affairs, and he
had an extremely interesting career. He
was one of the prominent figures during the
antebellum days of the war, and had the
rare distinction of being a trusted adviser of
10th Buchanan and Lincoln and held high
offices under the administration of each.
He one of the men of southern birth
who remained loyal to the Union through
out the war. and he did much 10 put Wash
ington in a state of preparation for the in
evitabe conflict by taking the office of Sec
retary of War; vacated by Secretary Floyd.
southern man, and aiding Gen Winfield
Scott in his work of organizing the Union
armies on a war footing.
Judge Holt was born in Breckinrid,e
county, Ky, in 1907, and was educated at
st. Joseph's College, Bardstown. and at
Center College, Danvi!le, Ky. In ISIS he
began the practice of law in Elizabethtown
Ky. He moved to Louisville in 1872 and to
Port Gibson. Mississippi in 1886. where he
won prominence in his profession. He re-
turned to Louisville I'm 1852. and after a
trip to Europe was appointed commissioner
of patents by President Buchanan in 1851
from which office he was promoted to that
of Postmaster General in 1S,9
In 1860, when John W. Floyd withdrew
from the cabinet, Mr. Holt assumed charge
of the War Department. He actively CO.
operated with Gen. Scott in providing
against hostile demonstrations at the in
auguration of Lincoln in 1861. Although he
had been a Douglas democrat, Mr. Holt
now gave his earnest support to the admin
istration. denounced the neutrality" policy
of his native state. and advocated the
Union cause In Kentucky and elsewhere
In 1SG2 President Lincoln made him Judge
advocate general of the army, with the
rank of colonel, and in 1S6i he was put
at the head of the bureau of military jus
tice. with the rank of bricadier general.
He had previously been offered the attorney
seneralship, bat had declined. and sug-
gested james Speed for the pace. President
Lincoln appointed Mr.. Speed
When he entered upon his duties he
found a very difficult task before him. but
he carried to his work the results Of long
experience as a practicng lawyer a we'll
storei legal mind and a judicial tempera-
ment. AS an evidence of the soundness of
his legal attachments 1t may be stated that
his decisions have all stood, and are today
the military law of the country. He was
participant in many important military cases
himself. the most important beng that of
the trial of the assassins of President Lin
coin. Judge Holt was the judge advocate
Of that military commission, and the con-
troversy which he had with the late An
drew johnson over the case Of Mrs Sur
Iatt is vet fresh in the memory No man
was ever more violently abused than was
Judge Holt for the action Of that commits
sion. although he was but one Of its men,
bers.
A Brilliant Orator.
Judge Holt was a brilliant orator. and
was said by the late James T. Brady to be
the finest orator that this country had
produced since Daniel Webster On the
day on which Mr.. Lincoln was assassinated
Judge Holt delivered an grafton at Charles
ton, s. c., on the occasion Of the raising
stars and stripes over Fort Sumter He
had an extremely happy command Of lam
guage. He was particularly powerful as
prosecuting attorney. and made a great
reputation such while he was practicing
law in Mississippi. He was said to be the
only man at the Mississippi bar who the
late S. s. Prentiss did not care to en-
counter. He sometimes gave way to his
fancy and his wonderful diction in his
official report, and there is one report Of
his, made when he was Postmaster General
that contains some extremely eloquent pas
sages.
Judge Hollis personal appearance was
striking. and would attract attention any
where. He was a tall and commanding
figure, his head cast down by a wealth OF
gray hair, and a face smoothly shaven and
strongly marked with indications of great
force of character and determinat ton He
was extremely retiring in disposition and
after he was placed upon the retired list
of the army iE 1915 he rarely went into
society, living quietly at his home on New
Jersey avenue, his only companion being
his books and few intimate friends, who
Used to occas sionally drop in upon him.
He was often urged to re-enter public life
and appear upon the stump in political
ca mpaigns but he invariably declined. saw
ing that he had had all that sort of thing
he desired and did not care to get again
into the whirlpool Of political life. He kept