Mary E. Holland

For other people named Mary Holland, see Mary Holland (disambiguation).
Mary E. Holland
Holland in 1909
Born
Mary E. Troxel

(1868-02-25)February 25, 1868
Galena, Illinois
DiedMarch 27, 1915(1915-03-27) (aged 47)
Chicago, Illinois
OccupationDetective
Years active1904 - 1915
Known forEarly advocate of fingerprint evidence in U.S.
SpousePhilip Cosmore Holland

Mary E. Holland (February 25, 1868 - March 27, 1915) was an American detective who became an early advocate for fingerprint identification in criminal investigations. She was one of the expert witnesses in the first case in which a criminal was convicted by fingerprint evidence in the United States. She "single-handedly was responsible for the accelerated acceptance of the Henry system"[1] for classifying fingerprints in the United States. She was once called "the most noted woman criminologist in the world."[2]

  1. ^ Cite error: The named reference Hawthorne was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ Cite error: The named reference Gazette1909 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).