One box contains restricted material and requires signed form.
Researchers may access digitized and born digital materials by visiting the link attached to each item or by requesting to view the materials in person by appointment or remotely by contacting the West Virginia & Regional History Center reference department at https://westvirginia.libanswers.com/wvrhc.
This collection is one of five (see also A&M 0873, 4218, 4039, and 3943) pertaining to Rush Dew Holt, Sr. and his family. The records have been gathered via multiple accruals from 1956 to 2016. Originally, these collections were divided between A&M 873 and A&M 1701, the latter also being composed of thirteen addenda and A&M 1858.
In an attempt to organize the collections in a more coherent fashion for patron use and to reflect the creator(s) in a more concise manner, the material was reevaluated and reorganized into the three sets of papers with distinct series and subseries: A&M 873: Rush Dew Holt (1905-1955) Papers; A&M 1858: Helen Holt (1913-2015) Papers; and A&M 4218: Rush Dew Holt Family Papers.
Because of the 2016-2017 reorganization, the physical arrangement no longer matches the intellectual arrangement and series order. Furthermore, any box and folder citations created prior to the above-mentioned project are likely no longer accurate.
For assistance locating material using an older citation, please ask a staff member of the West Virginia & Regional History Center.
Helen Louise (Froelich) Holt was born in Gridley, Illinois, on August 16, 1913, to parents, William and Edna Froelich. Even at a young age, Helen Holt displayed academic potential, being advanced from the second to third grade, and this excellence was further demonstrated by Helen Holt's selection as class president and later valedictorian of her graduating class.
After high school she attended Stephens College in Columbia, Missouri, where she received an AA degree in 1932. To further her education, Helen Holt applied to Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois, where she was inducted into the Delta Delta Delta sorority. While attending Northwestern University, Helen Holt maintained a high grade point average, and she graduated in 1934 with a BA in Biology and a minor in Anthropology. Soon after receiving her degree, Helen Holt was offered a position at Stephens College Science Division to first help establish a library and then to assist students and teachers with research or as needed. This experience led to Helen Holt's first published work, Function of a Science Divisional Library. In 1936, Helen Holt was encouraged to attend the Marine Biological Laboratory, an institution for research and education, in Woods Hole, Massachusetts. During this time (1935-1937) she also completed graduated work in connection with the University of Missouri in Columbia Missouri. After attending the Marine Biological Laboratory where she was able to interact with other students and well-known professors, Helen Holt decided it best to further her education at the graduate level; thus, she applied for a teaching fellowship in Zoology at Northwestern University. She was accepted and began her courses during the 1937 summer term and graduated in 1938. In addition to earning her MS, Helen Holt completed graduate work in conjunction with the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill in 1956.
After graduating with her MS degree, Helen Holt was hired for a position at National Park College in Washington, D.C., where she taught several Science courses from 1938-1941. It was during this time that she was introduced to the youngest member of the United States Senate, Rush Dew Holt of West Virginia, by Helen's friend and Rush's sister, Jane (Holt) Chase. They were married a year after they met, and the couple moved to West Virginia in 1941. Two children were born to the couple: Helen Jane Holt (1945) and Rush Dew Holt, Jr. (1948). When Rush Holt, Sr.'s sister died in 1952, the couple adopted her son, David. During this period Helen Holt described herself as a homemaker, but she was later involved with her husband's campaigns and even served as an unpaid assistant in Rush Holt's Charleston office. This initial involvement in government, however, was only the beginning of Helen Holt's own political career.
In 1955 after the death of her husband, Helen Holt was appointed by Governor William C. Marland to fulfill her late husband's term in the West Virginia House of Delegates, and she was later elected as a delegate to the 1956 Republican National Convention. After the legislative session ended in March, 1956, Helen Holt accepted a recently-vacated teaching position at Greenbrier College which would prove to be only temporary. In 1957, after the death of Secretary of State D. Pitt O'Brian, Governor Cecil H. Underwood appointed Helen Holt to fill the position, making Helen Holt the first woman to hold the office in West Virginia history. Wishing to remain secretary of state, Helen Holt ran against Joe F. Burdett in 1958 but lost. Despite the unsuccessful campaign, Helen Holt continued to break the gender barrier, becoming the first woman appointed to serve as Assistant Commissioner of Public Institutions in West Virginia (served from 1959-1960) and later the first woman to serve as a trustee on the Board of the National Presbyterian Church in Washington, D.C.
In 1960 Helen Holt received a presidential appointment from Dwight D. Eisenhower to serve as Special Assistant to the Commissioner of the Federal Housing Administration for Nursing Homes Program (1960-1974). During the administration of President Richard M. Nixon, Helen Holt was considered for the position of United States treasurer, but despite numerous letters of recommendation from politicians and prominent individuals, the position was offered to John B. Connelly, Jr. Nevertheless, Helen Holt continued to succeed, and in 1974 the Department of Housing and Urban Development appointed her to serve as assistant to the secretary for programs for the elderly and the handicapped (1974-1983).
In 1983 after twenty-three years of government service, Helen Holt retired, but she remained active in women's organizations (including the Washington Business and Professional Women's Clubs, the Association of University Women, and the National League of Pen Women) and in church groups sponsored by the National Presbyterian Church in Washington, D.C. In addition to the numerous positions and honors bestowed upon Helen Holt during her political career, including being chosen as West Virginia Daughter of the Year by the West Virginia Society of Washington, D.C. in 1957 and being elected as president of the same society in 1960 and again serving as president from 1965-1966, she was awarded one of her greatest distinctions in 2013 when she received an honorary doctorate from West Virginia University.
Helen Holt passed away on July 12, 2015.
August 16, 1913: born
1930: graduated from high school
1930-1932: attended Stephens College, received an AA degree
1932-1934: attended Northwestern University, received a BA degree in Biology and a minor in Anthropology
1934-1936: worked at Stephens College Science Division to first help establish a library and then to assist students and teachers with research or as needed
1935-1937: completed graduate study work in connection with the University of Missouri
1936-1937: attended the Marine Biological Laboratory, an institution for research and education, in Woods Hole, Massachusetts
Summer, 1937-1938: attended Northwestern University, received a MS degree in Zoology
1938-1941: taught Science courses at National Park College
1941 married Senator Rush Dew Holt
1945: birth of Helen Jane Holt.
1948: birth of Rush Dew Holt, Jr.
1955: death of Rush Dew Holt, Sr.
February 17, 1955-December 1, 1956 finished Rush Dew Holt's House of Delegates term, continued to serve in the House of Delegates until 1957
1956: served as a Delegate at Large to the Republican National Convention
1956: completed graduate study work in connection with the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill
1956-1957: taught at Greenbrier College for Women
1957: stopped serving as professor at Greenbrier College, appointed to secretary of state of West Virginia (thru January, 1959)
1959-1960: served as Assistant Commissioner of Public Institutions in WV
1960-1974: appointed by Eisenhower to the Federal Housing Administration as special assistant to the commissioner for a program overseeing nursing homes
1974-1983: appointed by the Department of Housing and Urban Development to serve as assistant to the secretary for programs for the elderly and the handicapped
1983: retired from government service
2013: received an Honorary Degree from WVU
July 12, 2015: death
A&M 1858, Helen Louise (Froelich) Holt (1913-2015) Papers, West Virginia and Regional History Center, West Virginia University Libraries.
Daly-Lipe, Patricia. Helen Holt:
Marquis-Who's Who Incorporated.
[Description and date of item], [Box/folder number], Helen Holt Papers, A&M 1858, West Virginia and Regional History Center, West Virginia University Libraries, Morgantown, West Virginia.
0873, 3001, 3943, 4039, 4218, 4386
Papers of Helen Louise (Froelich) Holt (1913-2015) relating to her personal, educational, and political activities. Types of material include publications, clippings, correspondence, photographs, and ephemera, among others. The collection is divided into five series: Personal and Political Papers (1912-2015 and undated) includes biographical material, correspondence, campaign material, educational material, and photographs, among other material relating to Helen Holt's personal and political activities. Press and Media Activity (1937-2008 and undated) includes speeches, clippings, and press releases. State Government Papers (1955-1960) includes records from Helen Holt's service in the West Virginia House of Delegates and as the secretary of state of West Virginia. Federal Government Papers (1960-1984 and undated) include records from Helen Holt's involvement with the Federal Housing Administration and with Housing and Urban Development. Rush Dew Holt, Jr. Papers (1953-2014 and undated) includes biographical material, political material, correspondence, and clippings, among other material relating to Helen Holt's son's personal and political activities.
The collection is divided into six series as follows:
Includes publications, correspondence, photographs, artifacts, and other material representing the personal and political activities of Helen Holt.
Includes material related to newspapers and media that documents Helen Holt's personal and political activities.
Includes correspondence, reports, statements, and publications, among other material documenting Helen Holt's activity in the West Virginia House of Delegates and as West Virginia's secretary of state.
Includes records, correspondence, clippings, reports, photographs, and publications, among other material that represents Helen Holt's involvement with the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development and the Federal Housing Administration.
Papers collected by Helen Holt pertaining to the personal life and political career of her son, Rush Holt, Jr., who served as U.S. Representative from New Jersey (1999-2015). Material includes correspondence, reports, publications, clippings, and ephemera, among other material.
Campaign poster of Rush Holt, Jr.
Permission to publish or reproduce is required from the copyright holder. For more information, please see the Permissions and Copyright page on the West Virginia and Regional History Center website.
Includes publications, correspondence, photographs, artifacts, and other material representing the personal and political activities of Helen Holt.
Includes biographical sketches, clippings, and typescripts, among other material detailing Helen Holt's life events.
Items of note include
Includes personal and political correspondence sent and received by Helen Holt.
Personal correspondence includes condolence letters and telegrams, congratulatory letters, thank you notes, and communication about
Political correspondence includes letters involving Helen Holt while she was serving as a member of West Virginia's House of Delegates, as West Virginia's secretary of state, as West Virginia's assistant state commissioner of public institutions, as a delegate at large to the Republican National Convention, and as a special assistant for overseeing nursing homes in conjunction with the Federal Housing Administration.
Material of note includes correspondence about
Additional cards, invitations, etc. can be found in Series 1: Personal and Political Papers--Invitations and Cards.
Addition congratulatory letters relating to Helen Holt's marriage to Rush Holt can be found in A&M 873, Series 1: Personal and Political Papers--Correspondence.
Includes cards, announcements, and invitations to various events, among other related material.
Types of invitations include public and private events such as weddings, dinners, galas, and commencements, among others.
Significant occasions include the National Prayer Breakfast at the White House, the Christian Embassy Fellowship Dinner, the Winter Palace Ball for Cleveland Clinic Florida, and Spouses of the Senate honorary programs, among others.
Types of cards include condolence cards regarding the death of her husband, greeting cards, birthday and Christmas cards, and postcards. A few cards are from prominent individuals in politics.
Additional correspondence of this nature can also be found in Series 1. Personal and Political Papers--Correspondence.
Includes copies of letters from prominent people sent to the Nixon administration endorsing Helen Holt for the position of United States treasurer. Also included are copies of acknowledgment letters from the White House and copies of gratitude notes from Helen Holt.
Prominent correspondents include former West Virginia Senators, Robert C. Byrd and Jennings Randolph; Dr. Norman Vincent Peale; and former Senate Republican leader, Bob Dole, among others.
Includes material relating to Helen Holt's service as a delegate at large at the 1956 Republican National Convention and material relating to her attempt to be elected as West Virginia's secretary of state in 1958. In addition to Helen Holt's own campaigns, some material also represents Helen Holt's involvement with promoting the candidacy in others of the Republican Party. One folder includes material pertaining to Helen's involvement in her son's campaigns (1998-2000).
Material of note advertising her candidacy includes cards listing Helen Holt's accomplishments (located in box 12, folder 2), copies of four-month calendars (August through November) issued by Helen Holt's campaign which indicate major dates for the election cycle (located in box 12, folder 2), and a newspaper broadside for a campaign appearance (located in box 66).
Includes publications, notes, photographs, ephemera, and miscellaneous material relating to Helen Holt's educational activities as a student, alumna, and teacher.
Publications include alumni magazines from Stephens College (where Helen Holt attended from 1930-1932), fiftieth reunion material from Northwestern University (where Helen Holt attended from 1932-1934 for her BA and 1937-1938 for her MS), and sorority publications.
Notes include records from classes, composition notebooks, and research documenting Helen Holt's studies.
Items of note include Helen Holt's Master's zoology thesis,
For additional education material, please see A&M 4039, box 2, folders 1-3.
Includes material such as name cards and tags, membership cards, and buttons, among other ephemera collected by Helen Holt.
Material of note includes ephemera from President Eisenhower's inauguration (located in box 44, folders 2 and 3).
Includes articles by Helen Holt regarding issues significant to her life.
Topics include pros and cons of junior college sororities and science divisional libraries.
An item of note is a copy of Helen Holt's first published work,
Includes publications collected by Helen Holt such as books, newsletters, programs, and directories, among others. The material spans a variety of topics, from politics to educational institutions and clubs.
Items of note include a bound volume of a newsletters,
Includes photographs of Helen Holt and family in addition to other prominent individuals.
Photographs of Helen Holt represent her personal and political life including her college and educational activities, family life, her wedding to Senator Rush Holt, and her political involvement.
Prominent individuals include Presidents Richard Nixon, Jimmy Carter, Ronald Reagan, and George H. W. Bush; former first ladies, Nancy Reagan and Barbara Bush; Senator Robert C. Byrd; and author Pearl Buck, among others.
For additional photographs (including wedding pictures), please see A&M 4039, box 2, folder 4. Additional family photographs can be found in A&M 4218.
Includes correspondence and receipts relating to travel expenses, insurance, and taxes, among others.
Material of note includes Weston property taxes and repair bills (located in box 32, folder 2) and Cuban sugar investments (located in box 43, folder 10).
Includes photographs, guides, bills, correspondence, and ephemera, among other material relating to Helen Holt's personal and business travels.
Locations visited include New Zealand, Australia, China, Greece, Israel, Austria, and France.
Includes material pertaining to topics in which Helen Holt was significantly involved.
Topics include the White House Children and Youth Conference; Youth Conflict Seminar; women's organizations such as the West Virginia Federation of Women's Clubs, the National League of American Pen Women, the Executive Women in Government organization of which Helen was once president, and Ladies of the Senate; and religion, primarily the National Presbyterian Church.
Types of material include publications, correspondence, and meeting records, among others.
Includes miscellaneous personal material retained by Helen Holt.
Types of material include address lists, contracts, correspondence, clippings, photographs, a painting, publications and other printed material, among others.
Material of note includes the court case records for guardianship of David K. Chase, Helen Holt's nephew (located in box 24, folder 7); material from when Helen Holt was awarded an honorary doctorate from West Virginia University (located in boxes 54-56); autographs of prominent individuals such as Hillary Clinton, President (then Senator) Obama, and Bob Dole, among others (located in box 41, folder 1); and a copy of
For additional miscellaneous material, please see A&M 4039, box 1, folders 12-14.
Includes correspondence, advertising, itineraries, publications, and reports, among other material documenting Helen Holt's political activities at the state and federal levels.
Material of note include a certificate confirming Helen Holt's appointment to fill Rush Holt, Sr.'s seat in the West Virginia House of Delegates (located in box 64), a certificate confirming Helen Holt's appointment to be West Virginia's Secretary of State (located in box 64), and a copy of the Senate address delivered by Robert C. Byrd which details Helen Holt's retirement from government (located in box 39, folder 3).
Includes material related to newspapers and media that documents Helen Holt's personal and political activities.
Includes notes for and copies of speeches delivered by Helen Holt.
Also included is a transcript of Helen Holt's speech to introduce her son, Rush Holt, Jr. during the Montgomery Middle School "Blue Ribbon Celebration" in 2000 (located in box 26, folder 1).
Includes original and photocopied newspaper articles concerning Helen Holt's personal and political activities, in addition to miscellaneous clippings.
Personal topics include college sorority activities and educational news significant to Helen Holt's career as a teacher.
Political topics include Helen Holt's appointment as West Virginia's secretary of state and her career in state and federal government service.
Miscellaneous clippings include topics such as Watergate, the Iraq War, and President Gerald Ford's funeral, among others.
Includes copies of press releases that involve activities of Helen Holt and/or the Republican Party.
Includes correspondence, reports, statements, and publications, among other material documenting Helen Holt's activity in the West Virginia House of Delegates and as West Virginia's secretary of state.
Includes correspondence, reports, and statements involving the West Virginia House of Delegates. Mrs. Holt was appointed by Governor William C. Marland to fill her husband's seat in the House of Delegates following his death; she served from 1955 to 1957.
Persons and entities represented include former West Virginia governor, William C. Marland, state school boards and organizations, and other divisions of state government, among others.
Includes political and election records, and publications, among other material retained by Helen Holt from her time as West Virginia's secretary of state. She was appointed to fill the position in 1957 and served until January 1959. In doing so, she became the first woman to hold a high-level state office in WV.
The political records include reports relating to state boards and committees including the Board of Public Works, the State Auditing Board of Traveling Expenses, and the State Armory Board.
The election records include material from West Virginia's Election Commission and copies of 1968 election returns, among other material.
The publications include event schedules from programs that Helen Holt attended while serving as West Virginia's Secretary of State and information bulletins (
For correspondence relating to Helen Holt's time as West Virginia's secretary of state, refer to Series 1, Personal and Political Papers—Correspondence (box 4, folder 8-10 and 12-14; box 5 folder 1 to box 8, folder 3; and box 34, folder 8).
Includes records, correspondence, clippings, reports, photographs, and publications, among other material that represents Helen Holt's involvement with the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development and the Federal Housing Administration.
Includes clippings, correspondence, photographs, and publications (newsletters and pamphlets), among other material documenting Helen Holt's involvement with the Federal Housing Administration including her involvement with nursing homes facilities and development. She was appointed to the FHA as a special assistant to the commissioner for a program overseeing nursing homes in 1960.
An item of note is an invitation from President and Mrs. Johnson to the National Symphony Ball (located in box 36, folder 12).
For additional material relating to the Federal Housing Administration, please see A&M 4039, box 1, folders 1-11.
Includes departmental records, correspondence, clippings, and reports, among other material relating to Helen Holt's involvement with the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development (which was established in 1965-1966).
The departmental records include executive inventory records detailing the employment history of Helen Holt and evaluations of her work.
The correspondence includes memos regarding Helen Holt's involvement with programs for the elderly and handicapped.
Papers collected by Helen Holt pertaining to the personal life and political career of her son, Rush Holt, Jr., who served as U.S. Representative from New Jersey (1999-2015). Material includes correspondence, reports, publications, clippings, and ephemera, among other material.
\Includes a general biographical sketch about Rush Holt, Jr., a one-paragraph biography from the National Commission on Mathematics and Science Teaching for the 21st Century, and copies of an autobiographical sketch that appears to have been part of application material (located in box 24, folder 12).
Includes general correspondence with Rush Holt, Jr., written to and from his mother, Helen Holt and his sister, Helen Jane (Holt) Seale.
Includes reports used for Congress, political itinerary, and miscellaneous political material that exemplifies Rush Holt, Jr.'s career. He first ran for Congress in 1996.
Reports include Congressional Research Service reports relating to the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) and the issue of the federal role in elementary and secondary education (located in box 26, folder 8).
Political itinerary includes a schedule for the Central New Jersey School Boards' Day (2000) for which Rush Holt, Jr. delivered the opening and closing remarks.
Miscellaneous material includes a summary of Rush Holt Jr.'s activity in the House of Representatives, and a biography of Representative George Miller (D-California), among other material.
Includes itineraries, notes, mailings, invitations to fundraising and related events, correspondence, press activity, and advertisements, among other material relating to Rush Holt, Jr.'s campaigns for the House of Representatives.
Includes ephemera relating to Rush Holt, Jr.'s education, his childhood, and his 2011 swearing-in ceremony to the House of Representatives.
Educational ephemera includes program booklets from events sponsored by Carleton College and Landon School. Events include a winter concert, commencements, and a carnival, among others.
Childhood ephemera includes drawings, name cards, and craft projects, including some from Bible School.
Swearing-in ceremony ephemera includes schedules of events, a map of Washington, D.C. detailing "areas of interest," and guidelines to "proceedings of the House floor."
Includes original and photocopied clippings about Rush Holt, Jr.'s personal and political activities.
Topics include general recognition, news about Rush Holt, Jr.'s campaigns, and copies of letters written to newspaper editors about Rush Holt, Jr., among others.
Includes the transcript of a speech delivered by Rush Holt, Jr. at West Virginia University History Department's "First Annual Senator Rush D. Holt Lecture" on April 11, 2011 (located in box 47, folder 11).
Includes correspondence, publications, and other miscellaneous material relating to Rush Holt, Jr.'s political activities.
Correspondence includes letters to and from Rush Holt, Jr. with individuals such as Helen Holt; and Clarence J. Brown, former president of the United States Capitol Historical Society; among others. Also included are invitations to special events.
Publications include a copy of a mass-mailed report/survey of Rush Holt, Jr.'s progress (located in box 34, folder 2), pamphlets, and newsletters.
Promotional poster from Rush Holt, Jr.'s U.S. House of Representatives campaign (1996)