lumberman, businessman, b. Lake Forest, Ill. He attended Lake Forest Academy, and in 1882 began his business career in the Chicago offices of the Holt-Balcom Lumber Co., in which his father was a partner. In 1888 he moved to Oconto, Wis., where the Holt-Balcom Lumber Co. had opened a branch in 1862. In Oconto he became a leading figure in the lumber business and other enterprises, and for several years served as president of the Holt Lumber Co. (successor to Holt-Balcom). For many years one of the largest lumber firms in the area, the Holt Lumber Co. closed its Oconto sawmill in 1938, discontinued the planing mill in 1940, and for many years was in the process of liquidation. Holt had numerous other business interests in Oconto, including the Holt Hardwood Co., of which he was president and chairman of the board for many years. He was also a founder of the Northern Hemlock and Hardwood Manufacturers' Association and of the National Lumber Manufacturers' Association, and helped formulate the lumber code under the N.R.A. He was a member of the National Rehabilitation Administration (1933-1935), and mayor of Oconto (1904-1908). Holt lived in Oconto until his death. Who's Who in Amer., 25 (1948); W. A. Holt, Wis. Lumberman Looks Backward [Oconto ? Wis., 1948]; F. L. Holmes et al., eds., Wis. (5 vols., Chicago, 1946); Milwaukee Journal, May 13, 1953; Holt Lumber Co. Records.Learn More
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[Source: Dictionary of Wisconsin biography]
