Joseph Holt papers, 1800-1960s, bulk 1850-1890

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Summary

Creators:
Holt, Joseph, 1807-1894
Abstract:
Papers belonging to American lawyer, soldier, and politician Joseph Holt.
Extent:
10 Linear Feet (8 boxes)
Language:
Materials are in English.
Preferred citation:

[Identification of item]. Joseph Holt papers, The Huntington Library, San Marino, California.

Background

Scope and content:

The collection contains correspondence and other documents of Joseph Holt. Included are items relating to American Civil War law and politics; Kentucky at the outbreak of the Civil War; military law and the office of judge advocate general; the trial of Lincoln's assassins including Mary Surratt; Holt's personal and family life; the U.S. Patent Office; and U.S. Post Office. Other correspondents include Gustave Beauregard, Horace Greeley, Winfield Scott, James A. Garfield, Ulysses S. Grant, William T. Sherman, and Edwin Stanton. There is also a copy of a letter by Holt to Abraham Lincoln where he refused the position of attorney general (1864 November 5).

Biographical / historical:

Joseph Holt (1807-1894) was an American public official and judge advocate general of the U.S. Army from 1862 to 1875. A native of Kentucky, he became a well-known lawyer and prominent Democratic politician. In 1857, President Buchanan appointed him commissioner of patents, and in 1859 he became Postmaster General. In the beginning of 1861, before the outbreak of the American Civil War, he was Secretary of War. A staunch opponent of the secession movement, Holt was instrumental in preventing Kentucky from seceding. In September 1862, he was appointed to the newly created office of judge advocate general. In this capacity he presided over the trial and punishment of John Wilkes Booth's accomplices. A controversy over the trial that involved charges of misusing the power of a military tribunal and manipulation of the evidence resulted in a growing public demand for his resignation. He remained in office until 1875 and afterwards continued to try to disprove the charges. He died in Washington, D.C. in August 1894.

Acquisition information:
Gift of Joseph Holt Rose, 1970.
Processing information:

Processed by Huntington Library staff. In 2021, Brooke M. Black created a finding aid. In 2022, Melissa Haley enhanced description of the presidential material present in the collection as part of the American Presidential Papers Project.

Arrangement:

Organized in the following series 1. Joseph Holt letters to friends and family; 2. Joseph Holt speeches, letters, and articles: copies; 3. Letters to Joseph Holt; 4. Letters and other items by other authors; 5. Printed material; 6. Newspaper clippings, newspaper releases, and ephemera.

Rules or conventions:
Describing Archives: A Content Standard

Access and use

Restrictions:

Open for use by qualified researchers and by appointment. Please contact Reader Services at the Huntington Library for more information.

Terms of access:

The Huntington Library does not require that researchers request permission to quote from or publish images of this material, nor does it charge fees for such activities. The responsibility for identifying the copyright holder, if there is one, and obtaining necessary permissions rests with the researcher.

Preferred citation:

[Identification of item]. Joseph Holt papers, The Huntington Library, San Marino, California.

Location of this collection:
1151 Oxford Road
San Marino, CA 91108, US
Contact:
(626) 405-2191
reference@huntington.org
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