William Henry Holt (November 29, 1842 – March 6, 1919) was the first judge of the
United States District Court for the District of Puerto Rico, as established by the
Foraker Act of 1900. Holt was appointed to this position by
President William McKinley, and served a single four-year term from 1900 to 1904.
Biography
Holt was born on November 29, 1842, in
Bath County,
Kentucky. He was educated in the common schools of Kentucky and later at the Twinsburg Institute in
Ohio and the Fort Edward Institute in
New York
New York most commonly refers to:
* New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York
* New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States
New York may also refer to:
Film and television
* '' ...
. He graduated, summa cum laude, in 1862, from
Albany Law School. He was admitted to the Kentucky bar in 1863 and began practicing law in
Mt. Sterling,
Kentucky. During this time period he campaigned against slavery and in favor of the
Fourteenth Amendment. In 1884, Holt was elected Associate Justice of the
Kentucky Court of Errors and Appeals serving as chief justice from 1890 to 1892.
["Official Biography of William Henry Holt", United States District Court for the District of Puerto Rico]
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District Court service
In 1900, President McKinley offered Holt the office of United States district judge for the newly created United States District Court for the District of Puerto Rico, although Holt had not solicited for the job. He accepted the appointment on June 5, 1900, and moved to San Juan San Juan, Spanish for Saint John, may refer to:
Places Argentina
* San Juan Province, Argentina
* San Juan, Argentina, the capital of that province
* San Juan, Salta, a village in Iruya, Salta Province
* San Juan (Buenos Aires Underground), ...
, Puerto Rico. Holt oversaw the transition, both from a Spanish Legal System to an American Legal System and from a Military Justice System to a Civilian Justice System. He established local rules for the court. He served on the court until the expiration of his term in mid 1904.[
]
Later life
After the expiration of his term, Holt returned to Kentucky, living in Pewee Valley. He resumed the practice of law, which he continued until his death on March 6, 1919.
References
Further reading
*Guillermo A. Baralt, ''History of the Federal Court in Puerto Rico: 1899-1999'' (2004) (also published in Spanish as ''Historia del Tribunal Federal de Puerto Rico'')
Judges of the United States District Court for the District of Puerto Rico
1842 births
1919 deaths
People from Bath County, Kentucky
People from Mount Sterling, Kentucky
Chief Justices of the Kentucky Supreme Court
Kentucky lawyers
Albany Law School alumni
United States Article I federal judges appointed by William McKinley
People from Pewee Valley, Kentucky
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