William Holden | |
|---|---|
 | |
| 38th and 40th Governor of North Carolina | |
| In office July 1, 1868 – March 22, 1871 | |
| Lieutenant | Tod Caldwell |
| Preceded by | Jonathan Worth |
| Succeeded by | Tod Caldwell |
| In office May 29, 1865 – December 15, 1865 | |
| Appointed by | Andrew Johnson |
| Preceded by | Zebulon Vance |
| Succeeded by | Jonathan Worth |
| Member of the North Carolina Senate | |
| In office 1846–1848 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | William Woods Holden November 24, 1818 Orange County, North Carolina, U.S. |
| Died | March 1, 1892 (aged 73) Raleigh, North Carolina, U.S. |
| Political party | Whig (Before 1843) Democratic (1843–1865) National Union (1865–1866) Republican (1866–1892) |
William Woods Holden (November 24, 1818 – March 1, 1892) was an American politician who served as the 38th and 40th governor of North Carolina. He was appointed by President Andrew Johnson in 1865 for a brief term and then elected in 1868. He served until 1871 and was the leader of the state's Republican Party during the Reconstruction Era.
Holden was the second governor in American history to be impeached, and the first to be removed from office through that process. His impeachment was politically motivated due to his suppression of the Ku Klux Klan.[1][2] After Republicans lost the 1870 election, Democrats impeached Holden on eight fabricated charges relating to the Kirk–Holden war.[2] He is the only North Carolina governor to have been impeached. In 2011, Holden was posthumously pardoned by the North Carolina Senate in a 48–0 vote.[1]
- ^ a b "Senate agrees to posthumous pardon for NC governor". wcnc.com. Retrieved July 8, 2023.
- ^ a b Young, Lowell Thomas (May 5, 1965). The impeachment and trial of Governor William W. Holden, 1870–1871. Greensboro, North Carolina: University of North Carolina at Greensboro.