William Elmer Holt (October 14, 1884 – March 1, 1945) was an American politician. He served as the tenth Governor of

Montana Montana ( ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Mountain states, Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It is bordered by Idaho to the west, North Dakota to the east, South Dakota to the southeast, Wyoming to the south, an ...

from 1935 to 1937.

Biography

Holt was born in

Savannah, Missouri Savannah is a city and county seat of Andrew County, Missouri, United States. The population was 5,069 at the 2020 census. History Savannah was founded in 1841. The city was named after Savannah Woods, the child of a first settler. A post offi ...

, and moved with his family to a ranch in

Miles City, Montana Miles City is a city in and the county seat of Custer County, Montana, United States. The population was 8,354 at the 2020 census. History After the Battle of the Little Bighorn in 1876, the U.S. Army created forts in eastern Montana, inclu ...

. He graduated from the

University of Nebraska A university () is an educational institution, institution of tertiary education and research which awards academic degrees in several Discipline (academia), academic disciplines. ''University'' is derived from the Latin phrase , which roughly ...

in 1902. He married Lora Howe and they had two children.

Career

Holt was elected to the

Montana House of Representatives The Montana House of Representatives is, with the Montana Senate, one of the two houses of the Montana Legislature. Composed of 100 members, the House elects its leadership every two years. Composition of the House In the event that the parti ...

in 1912, and served one term. He was a member of the

Montana State Senate The Montana State Senate is the upper house of the Montana Legislature, the state legislative branch of the U.S. state of Montana. The body is composed of 50 senators elected for four years. Half of the Senate is up for election every two years. ...

from 1933 to 1935, and was chosen as president pro tempore in 1935. He became governor upon the death of Governor Frank Henry Cooney on December 15, 1935. Holt was defeated for reelection in 1936. He served as the delegate to Democratic National Convention from Montana in 1936. Holt retired from political life, and later served as a

land agent Land agent may be used in at least three different contexts. Traditionally, a land agent was a managerial employee who conducted the business affairs of a large landed estate for a member of the nobility or landed gentry, supervising the farming ...

for Northern Pacific Railroad in

Seattle Seattle ( ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Washington and in the Pacific Northwest region of North America. With a population of 780,995 in 2024, it is the 18th-most populous city in the United States. The city is the cou ...

, Washington.

Death

Holt died on March 1, 1945, in Seattle, Washington, where he was with the Northern Pacific Land Office.

References

External links

State of Montana governors listNational Governors Association biographyMontana Historical Society
{{DEFAULTSORT:Holt, Elmer 1884 births 1945 deaths University of Nebraska–Lincoln alumni Democratic Party members of the Montana House of Representatives Democratic Party Montana state senators Democratic Party governors of Montana People from Savannah, Missouri Methodists from Montana People from Miles City, Montana Lieutenant governors of Montana 20th-century members of the Montana Legislature