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North Carolina's Governors
Taking office upon the unexpected death of Governor Daniel G. Fowle, Thomas Michael Holt (1831-1896) employed skills developed as a textile leader to captain the ship of state. Born in Orange (now Alamance) County, Holt studied at Caldwell Institute in Hillsborough and entered the University of North Carolina in 1849 but left the next year. With the approval of his father, he sought more practical business experience in a large dry goods store in Philadelphia. Changes in the structure of his textile business prompted E. M. Holt to call his son home in 1851 to run the mill on Alamance Creek. It was the younger Holt who discovered the dyeing process leading to the widely-marketed "Alamance Plaid." Throughout the Civil War Holt's mill supplied clothing to the Confederacy. Holt, a Democrat, served as Alamance County commissioner and in both house of the legislature. He was speaker of the house during the 1885 session. Running on the ticket with Daniel G. Fowle in 1888, he was elected lieutenant governor. Long interested in education, Holt, prior to serving as governor, promoted the founding of what is now North Carolina State University. He supported establishment of a normal school for white women, college level facilities for blacks, and a new state institution for the deaf at Morganton. He advocated additional funding for Oxford Orphanage, the state mental institutions, and an expansion of the common schools. Given a strong start by the 1891 "farmers" legislature, the governor achieved virtually all of his goals. The people regained control of local governments; an increased tax rate assisted the public schools; and the appropriations for the state hospitals and the university were increased. Holt's health weakened during his administration and he chose not to run for reelection in 1892. He retired but could manage his business interests only on a part-time basis. A Presbyterian, he died in April 1896 and was buried in Linwood Cemetery in Graham.
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