Frederick W. M. Holliday

For other people with the same name, see Fred Holliday (disambiguation).

Frederick William Mackey Holliday (February 22, 1828 – May 29, 1899) was a member of the Confederate Congress as well as an officer in the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War. He also became the 38th Governor of Virginia, serving from 1878 to 1882.

Frederick W.M. Holliday
38th Governor of Virginia
In office January 1, 1878 – January 1, 1882
Lieutenant	James A. Walker
Preceded by	James L. Kemper
Succeeded by	William E. Cameron
Member of the Confederate States House of Representatives from Virginia's 10th district
In office February 17, 1864 – March 18, 1865
Preceded by	Alexander R. Boteler
Succeeded by	Office abolished
Personal details
Born	(1828-02-22)February 22, 1828 Winchester, Virginia, U.S.
Died	May 29, 1899(1899-05-29) (aged 71) Winchester, Virginia, U.S.
Political party	Democratic
Alma mater	Yale University University of Virginia
Profession	Lawyer
Signature
Military service
Allegiance	Confederate States of America
Branch/service	Confederate States Army
Years of service	1861–1864
Rank	Colonel
Commands	33rd Virginia Infantry
Battles/wars	American Civil War

Biography

Born in Winchester, Virginia, Holliday was the son of Dr. Richard John and Mary Catherine (née Taylor) Holliday. He attended Winchester Academy and Yale University before earning degrees in philosophy, political economy, and law from the University of Virginia. He was the Commonwealth's Attorney for Frederick County, Virginia from 1861 to 1865.

When the American Civil War began, he was elected as first captain of the Mountain Rangers of Winchester, which became Company D of the 33rd Virginia Infantry Regiment. The unit was part of the Stonewall Brigade in the Army of Northern Virginia. During the Battle of Cedar Mountain, Holliday was wounded in his right arm, which had to be amputated.^[1] He resigned from the military as a colonel on March 1, 1864, and was elected to the Second Confederate Congress.

Holliday won the election for Governor of Virginia in 1877 as a Conservative Democrat unopposed. Holliday began his term by breaking the established tradition of small inauguration ceremonies for Virginia governors. His ceremony included parades, bands, cannons, and an inaugural speech to 10,000 people.

Holliday traveled the world after his term as governor. He died at his home in Winchester, Virginia, on May 29, 1899,^[2] and was buried in Mount Hebron Cemetery.