Page Ten
THE STATE
March 7, 1936
GOVERNORS OF NORTH CAROLINA
No. 55 — W. W. HOLDEN
- By W. J. Sadler -
W. W. Holden, of Wake County, had
a turbulent political career in this
.state. Serving as Governor for a
niiinlicr of years during the Recon¬
struction period he was beset by
the many difficulties of the post-tvar
period, and finally was impeached
by the General Assembly and re¬
moved from office.
THE first an«l only
chief executive of this
stnte to he impeached
and removed from oflico
wn* W. W. Holden, of
Wilke County who for years
before and after the War
Between the States had ex¬
erted n strong political in¬
fluence in the common¬
wealth.
Impeachment proceed¬
ing* against Holden did not
сото
dur¬
ing hi* first term, to which he was ap¬
pointed by President Andrew John¬
son, himself a native of North Caro¬
lina. Johnson had succeeded to the
presidency following the assassination
of President Abraham Lincoln.
First Term Short
Holden’s appointment by the fed¬
eral official? a? governor came fol¬
lowing the arrest of Governor Zebulon
II. Vance soon after the surrender of
the Southern forces which brought an
end to hostilities, nis initial tenure
of office was for only a few months,
beginning on May 20, 1805, and end¬
ing nn December 28 of the
нате
year.
The impeachment proceeding* were
not to lie brought until more than five
year* after the expiration of hi* first
term, while he again was serving as
The assumption of the governorship
by Holden came at a time when most
citizen* of the state, thousand* of
whom lmd served in the military
force* during the war, were anxious
to lie allowed to attend to their busi¬
ness in peace so that they might in
a measure rehabilitate their shattered
fortunes. Consequently, there was lit¬
tle resentment over tho President as¬
suming charge of the civil affaire of
North Carolina and appointing a gov¬
ernor to rule over them.
His Ambition Gratified
Holden long had aspired to direct
the affairs of the state a* it* chief ex¬
ecutive, and now hi* ambition wn*
gratified. Historians relate that he
set about zealously to bring order out
of chaos, and that “in the main bis
appointments were good.” One of
these selection* was Jonathan Worth,
(who soou was to defeat him for the
gubernatorial chair) a* treasurer of
the state.
Soon after hi* elevation to the gov¬
ernorship, Holden culled for the elec¬
tion of delegate* to a convention. This
convention wn* to endeavor the adop¬
tion of resolution* and statutes de¬
signed to place the state back on a
normal basis a* nearly and ns speed¬
ily as possible, considering the unset¬
tled condition* which prevailed. Three
of the most important acts were those
repealing the secession resolution of
1861, abolition of slavery within the
state, and the culling of nn election so
that the people again could select their
public officials, including the gover¬
nor.
Worth Beats Holden
Following the convention. Worth re¬
signed as treasurer and announced hi*
intention to run for the governorship
in opposition to Holden, who had ex¬
pressed a desire to continue in that
office. The election was held early in
November, resulting in n decisive vic¬
tory for Worth, who defeated Holden
by a vote of 31,042 to 25,704.
Worth wn* sworn in a* Governor on
December 15, 1865, but Holden, dis¬
appointed at hi* defeat, attempted to
prevent him from taking office, claim¬
ing that Worth had been a Secession¬
ist during the war. However. Presi¬
dent Johnson uphold Worth’s right to
the office, and lie assume! the gover¬
norship on December 28.
Again Is Selected
It was almost three years before
Holden again aspired to the governor¬
ship. In 1868, he was nominated for
that office by the Republican
party, with which he had
bv that time become affili¬
ated. The Conservatives,
who later were to develop
into the present Democratic
party, had a hard time find¬
ing a man to accept their
nomination, which finally
was accepted by Thomas S.
Ashe.
The election of
ПоНеп
followed a spirited campaign. Activ¬
ities of Negroes in politics had in-
ereased tremendously since they had
been granted their freedom, and more
than 75,000 of them voted in this con¬
test.
About this time the Congress of the
United State* passed certain law* tak¬
ing away from many officeholder* in
tho South their privilege* because
they had been Secessionists, and under
these statutes Worth was removed from
office before the expiration of hi* term,
and Holden was installed as governor
on July 4, 1868.
Whites Arc Aroused
Many of Holden's actions during his
second term infuriated a vast number
of white citizens of the stntc, and he
was denounced in many ways, includ¬
ing being hanged in effigy in Raleigh
and elsewhere, according to historical
account*. Conditions went from had
to worse, resulting in the election dur¬
ing the summer of 1S70 of a Conserv¬
ative majority in the General Assem¬
bly of tlie elate.
Meeting in November of that year,
the legislature heard n message from
Governor Holden, in which ho re¬
viewed hi* administration. However,
it apparently had little effect on the
solons, because on December 0, a reso¬
lution was introduced “impeaching
W. W. Holden. Governor, ‘for high
primes and misdemeanors’.”
The trial of Governor Holden wn*
held in February, and was bitterly
fought. After a long struggle in which
loading attorneys of the state appeared
a* counsel, Holden was found guilty
by the legislators, the sentence im¬
posed being that he was to be debarred
from holding office in North Carolina.
