William H. Holliday Explained

William H. Holliday
Office:Member of the Wyoming Senate
Term Start:November 5, 1875
Term End:December 15, 1877
Term Start2:January 8, 1884
Term End2:March 7, 1884
Term Start3:January 10, 1888
Term End3:March 9, 1888
Term Start4:January 10, 1893
Term End4:January 12, 1897
Term Start5:January 12, 1909
Term End5:January 9, 1917
Office6:President of the Wyoming Council
Term Start6:January 8, 1884
Term End6:January 12, 1886
Office7:Member of the House of Representatives from Albany County
Term Start7:November 4, 1873
Term End7:December 12, 1873
Birth Name:William Helmus Holliday
Birth Date:21 May 1843
Birth Place:Green Township, Ohio, U.S.
Death Place:Laramie, Wyoming, U.S.
Party:Democratic
Spouse:Emily R. Coykendall
Mayme Kennedy
Children:5

William Helmus Holliday (May 21, 1843 – February 20, 1925) was an American politician who served in the territorial and statehood Wyoming Legislature as a member of the Democratic Party.

Early life

William Helmus Holliday was born on May 21, 1843, in Green Township, Ohio, to Eli Holliday and Annetta Bogart. In 1858, his family moved to Douglas County, Illinois and later moved to Jackson County in 1863. In 1865, he left his family and moved to the Colorado Territory. In September 1867, he moved to Albany County, Wyoming Territory while working at a sawmill. In 1873, he moved to Laramie.[1]

On May 5, 1869, Holliday married Emily R. Coykendall and had three children with her; their marriage lasted until her death on June 19, 1887. On February 20, 1897, he married Mayme Kennedy and had two children with her.

Career

State legislature

In 1871, he ran for election to the 2nd Wyoming Territorial Legislature, but was defeated. In 1873, he was elected to the 3rd Wyoming Territorial Legislature as a member of the House of Representatives. During the 3rd legislative session he, H. Conley, and N. L. Andrews nominated S. H. Wilkinson for Speaker of the House of Representatives and voted for Wilkinson alongside nine other members of the House.[2]

In 1875, he was elected to the Council and was reelected in 1877. In 1884 and 1888, he was elected to the council. On January 9, 1884, Robert H. Homer made a motion to have Holliday selected as President of the council and it was accepted.[3] From 1893 to 1897, he served in the state Senate, and again from 1909 to 1917.

Politics

During the 1882 elections, he ran as a candidate for Wyoming's delegate to the United States House of Representatives. From 1896 to 1990, he served as a member of the Democratic National Committee. In 1908, he served as a delegate to the Democratic national convention.

On August 9, 1894, he was selected as the Democratic nominee for the gubernatorial election at the Democratic state convention.[4] In the general election he was defeated by William A. Richards, the Republican nominee.[5]

Notes and References

  1. News: HON. WILLIAM HELMUS HOLLIDAY. . https://web.archive.org/web/20200528140501/http://sites.rootsweb.com/~wytttp/history/bartlett2/william_helmus_holliday.html . May 28, 2020 . live.
  2. Book: House Journal of the Legislative Assembly of the Territory of Wyoming Page 3 to 8 . University of Chicago . 1874 . 3 . Google Books.
  3. Book: Council Journal of the Legislative Assembly of the Territory of Wyoming . Wyoming Council . 1884 . 3 . Google Books.
  4. News: Their Platform Favors the Free and Unlimited Coinage of Silver . August 10, 1894 . The Atlanta Constitution . https://web.archive.org/web/20200528144155/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/52306747/the-atlanta-constitution/ . May 28, 2020 . live . 480 . Newspapers.com.
  5. Web site: Wyoming gubernatorial election, 1894.