Abner Linwood Holton III, known as Woody Holton, is an American professor who is the McCausland Professor of History at the
University of South Carolina.
Early life
Abner Linwood Holton III is the son of former Virginia Governor
Linwood Holton. His sister, former Virginia First Lady
Anne Holton, is the wife of U.S. Senator and former Virginia Governor
Tim Kaine
Timothy Michael Kaine (; born February 26, 1958) is an American lawyer and politician serving as the junior United States senator from Virginia since 2013. A member of the Democratic Party, he served as the 38th lieutenant governor of Virgi ...
, the Democratic Party nominee for vice president in 2016. He earned a B.A. in English at the
University of Virginia
The University of Virginia (UVA) is a public research university in Charlottesville, Virginia. Founded in 1819 by Thomas Jefferson, the university is ranked among the top academic institutions in the United States, with highly selective ad ...
, where he wrote for
''The'' ''Cavalier Daily'', in 1981. He received his Ph.D. in history from
Duke University in 1990.
Career
Holton worked for several years on behalf of environmental causes. In 1990, he created Clean Up Congress (CUC), a political action committee described by
OpenSecrets.org
OpenSecrets is a nonprofit organization based in Washington, D.C., that tracks data on campaign finance and lobbying. It was created from a merger of the Center for Responsive Politics (CRP) and the National Institute on Money in Politics (NIMP). ...
as "Democrat/liberal" group. In 1994, CUC waged a campaign to defeat
Oliver North
Oliver Laurence North (born October 7, 1943) is an American political commentator, television host, military historian, author, and retired United States Marine Corps lieutenant colonel.
A veteran of the Vietnam War, North was a National Secu ...
's bid for Virginia's Senate seat (North lost by 3% of the vote to
Chuck Robb
Charles Spittal Robb (born June 26, 1939) is an American politician from Virginia and former officer in the United States Marine Corps. A member of the Democratic Party, he served as the 64th governor of Virginia from 1982 to 1986 and a United ...
).
From 1981 to 1983, he served as a legislative aide in the Virginia General Assembly for Delegate Robert T. Andrews (R-McLean). Characterized in the ''Washington Post'' as an energetic "young tiger", he helped Andrews draft and win the enactment of Virginia's first child safety seat law, changes to the Alcohol Safety Action Program (ASAP) for post-conviction referral, and other legislation.
He began teaching at the
University of Richmond
The University of Richmond (UR or U of R) is a private liberal arts college in Richmond, Virginia. It is a primarily undergraduate, residential institution with approximately 4,350 undergraduate and graduate students in five schools: the School ...
in 2000 as an assistant professor, rising to professor in 2011. His essay titled "Divide et Impera: The Tenth Federalist in a Wider Sphere" was selected for inclusion in ''Best American History Essays 2006'' by the Organization of American Historians. He published ''Unruly Americans'' in 2007. Holton's ''Abigail Adams'' was awarded the
Bancroft Prize
The Bancroft Prize is awarded each year by the trustees of Columbia University for books about diplomacy or the history of the Americas.
It was established in 1948, with a bequest from Frederic Bancroft, in his memory and that of his brother, ...
for 2010. The book focuses on the role of creditors and bond speculators in the creation of the
US Constitution by examining the financial acumen of one of America's earliest and most aggressive female investors.
In July 2012, Holton became the McCausland Professor of History at the University of South Carolina, though he remained in Richmond for another year on a fellowship from the
National Endowment for the Humanities
The National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) is an independent federal agency of the U.S. government, established by thNational Foundation on the Arts and the Humanities Act of 1965(), dedicated to supporting research, education, preserv ...
.
Personal life
Holton is married to Gretchen Schoel, a student of the impact of the internet on intercultural communication. They have a daughter, Beverly Holton and a son, Henry Holton.
Awards
*2000
Merle Curti Award from the Organization of American Historians for ''Forced Founders''
*2007
National Book Award
The National Book Awards are a set of annual U.S. literary awards. At the final National Book Awards Ceremony every November, the National Book Foundation presents the National Book Awards and two lifetime achievement awards to authors.
The Nat ...
finalist for ''Unruly Americans and the Origins of the Constitution''
*2008
Guggenheim Fellowship
*2010
Bancroft Prize
The Bancroft Prize is awarded each year by the trustees of Columbia University for books about diplomacy or the history of the Americas.
It was established in 1948, with a bequest from Frederic Bancroft, in his memory and that of his brother, ...
for ''Abigail Adams''
Writings
*''Forced Founders: Indians, Debtors, Slaves and the Making of the American Revolution in Virginia'', University of North Carolina Press for the Omohundro Institute of Early American History and Culture, 1999,
*''Unruly Americans and the Origins of the Constitution'', Macmillan, 2007,
*''Abigail Adams'', Simon and Schuster, 2009,
* ''Black Americans in the Revolutionary Era: A Brief History with Documents'', Bedford/St. Martin's, 2009,
* ''Liberty Is Sweet: The Hidden History of the American Revolution'' Simon & Schuster, 2021,
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Holton, Woody
21st-century American historians
21st-century American male writers
Historians of Virginia
University of Richmond faculty
University of Virginia alumni
Duke University alumni
Historians of the American Revolution
Tim Kaine
Living people
Bancroft Prize winners
American male non-fiction writers
1959 births