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THOMAS HOLT : 1881 ORIGINAL MANUSCRIPT LETTER HANDWRITTEN BY A PROMINENT COTTON MILL OWNER AND SOON TO BE GOVERNOR OF NORTH CAROLINA

8vo - over 7¾" - 9¾" tall. On offer is a fine example of a brief letter written in the early 1880's by a prominent industrialist and politician. The letter is on printed commercial letterhead and measures 9 1/2 inches by 5 1/2 inches. It is in excellent condition. The letter is on letterhead for the Granite Cotton Factory and Haw River Flooring Mills / Thomas M Holt, Proprietor. Dated January, 8th, 1881, it is written by Thomas Holt to his brother as a covering letter for an undisclosed payment on an outstanding loan: "I enclose my check for bal's due you according to your statement which I hope will be satisfactory". In 1858 he and his father, Edwin Holt, had purchased a bankrupt textile mill in Haw River, NC. Holt Senior was already a successful cotton mill owner and is recognized as a founder of the textile industry in the American South. In 1861, Thomas Holt acquired his father's portion of the business. He was very successful in growing the business and, along with family members who owned other mills, became the dominant cotton mill operation in North Carolina. Upon his death in 1896, his son expanded the business even more, eventually selling to a rival. The Holt Mills became the lynchpin of Burlington Industries, today an international textile business with some 8,000 employees. Active in the Democratic party at the state level, Holt became a member of the North Carolina House of Representatives and the NC State Senate. He became North Carolina's 6th Lieutenant Governor and upon the death in office of the governor, Holt became the 47th Governor of North Carolina in 1891. He served 2 years. In his letter, he thanks his brother and notes that the loan came at a difficult time: "I am much obliged for its use as it was loaned in a time of deep anxiety with me. I will never forget 1877 [ ]". Holt and his family became the largest of the 'textile barons' in North Carolina and he played a significant role in the political life of the State. This letter is a small part of a much larger legacy including the Holt papers at the University of North Carolina.. Illustr.: /. Manuscript. Book Condition: Very Good

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