Joseph Holt
| Joseph Holt | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| 18th United States Postmaster General | |
|
In office March 9, 1859 – December 31, 1860 |
|
| President | James Buchanan |
| Preceded by | Aaron V. Brown |
| Succeeded by | Horatio King |
| 25th United States Secretary of War | |
|
In office January 18, 1861 – March 5, 1861 |
|
| President |
James Buchanan Abraham Lincoln |
| Preceded by | John B. Floyd |
| Succeeded by | Simon Cameron |
| 6th Judge Advocate General of the United States Army | |
|
In office September 3, 1862 – December 1, 1875 |
|
| Preceded by | John F. Lee |
| Succeeded by | William M. Dunn |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
January 6, 1807 Breckinridge County, Kentucky |
| Died | August 1, 1894 (aged 87) Washington, D.C. |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouse(s) | Mary Harrison Holt Margaret Wickliffe Holt |
| Occupation | Lawyer, Politician |
Joseph Holt (January 6, 1807 – August 1, 1894) was a leading member of the Buchanan administration and was Judge Advocate General of the United States Army, most notably during the Lincoln assassination trials.
Joseph Holt was born in Breckinridge County, Kentucky, on January 6, 1807. He was educated at St. Joseph's College in Bardstown, Kentucky and Centre College in Danville, Kentucky. He settled in Elizabethtown, Kentucky and set up a law office in town. He married Mary Harrison and moved to Louisville, Kentucky in 1832. There he became assistant editor of the Louisville Public Advertiser and the Commonwealth's Attorney from 1833 to 1835. Holt moved to Port Gibson, Mississippi, and practiced law there, as well as in Natchez, Mississippi and Vicksburg, Mississippi. Holt and his wife contracted tuberculosis. Mary died of it, and Joseph returned to Louisville to recuperate.
Holt remarried, to Margaret Wickliffe. In 1857, Holt was appointed Commissioner of Patents by President Buchanan, and moved to Washington. He served in this position until 1859 when Buchanan appointed him Postmaster General. The Buchanan administration was shaken in December 1860 and January 1861, when the Confederacy was formed and many cabinet members resigned, but Holt was anti-slavery and a strong supporter of the Union. He was appointed Secretary of War upon the resignation of John B. Floyd of Virginia. Holt served as Secretary of War until the end of Buchanan's presidency.
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