Alexander Quarles Holladay LL.D. (8 May 1839 – 13 March 1909) was a United States

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 lawyer

Lawyer

A lawyer, according to Black's Law Dictionary, is "a person learned in the law; as an attorney, counsel or solicitor; a person who is practicing law." Law is the system of rules of conduct established by the sovereign government of a society to correct wrongs, maintain the stability of political...

, state senator

State Senator

A state senator is a member of a state's Senate, the upper house in the bicameral legislature of 49 U.S. states, or a legislator in Nebraska's one house State Legislature.There are typically fewer state senators than there are members of a state's lower house...

 and college administrator from Virginia

Virginia

The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...

.

Life

The son of Alexander Richmond Holladay

Alexander Holladay

Alexander Richmond Holladay was a 19th century politician and lawyer from Virginia.-Early life and background:...

 (1811–1877), a lawyer and former U. S. Representative

United States House of Representatives

The United States House of Representatives is one of the two Houses of the United States Congress, the bicameral legislature which also includes the Senate.The composition and powers of the House are established in Article One of the Constitution...

, by his marriage to Patsy Quarles Poindexter, Holladay was educated, like his father, at the University of Virginia

University of Virginia

The University of Virginia is a public research university located in Charlottesville, Virginia, United States, founded by Thomas Jefferson...

 (1857–1859) and then at the University of Berlin (1859–1861). While at Charlottesville

Charlottesville, Virginia

Charlottesville is an independent city geographically surrounded by but separate from Albemarle County in the Commonwealth of Virginia, United States, and named after Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz, the queen consort of King George III of the United Kingdom.The official population estimate for...

, he was a member of the Beta Theta Pi

Beta Theta Pi

Beta Theta Pi , often just called Beta, is a social collegiate fraternity that was founded in 1839 at Miami University in Oxford, Ohio, USA, where it is part of the Miami Triad which includes Phi Delta Theta and Sigma Chi. It has over 138 active chapters and colonies in the United States and Canada...

 fraternity

Fraternities and sororities

Fraternities and sororities are fraternal social organizations for undergraduate students. In Latin, the term refers mainly to such organizations at colleges and universities in the United States, although it is also applied to analogous European groups also known as corporations...

. On April 17, 1861, a few days after the outbreak of the Civil War

American Civil War

The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...

, Holladay married Virginia Randolph Bolling, a daughter of Thomas Bolling of Bolling Island, in the upper James River

James River

The James River may refer to:Rivers in the United States and their namesakes* James River * James River , North Dakota, South Dakota* James River * James River * James River...

 in Goochland County, Virginia

Goochland County, Virginia

Goochland County is a county located in the Commonwealth of Virginia. As of 2010, the population was 21,717. Its county seat is Goochland. It is located in the Richmond-Petersburg region and is a portion of the Richmond Metropolitan Statistical Area ....

. On May 25, 1861, he was commissioned into the Confederate States Army

Confederate States Army

The Confederate States Army was the army of the Confederate States of America while the Confederacy existed during the American Civil War. On February 8, 1861, delegates from the seven Deep South states which had already declared their secession from the United States of America adopted the...

. The Holladays' daughter Mary Stuart Holladay was born on February 3, 1862, their son William Waller Holladay on September 7, 1864, and their daughter Julia Cabell Holladay in 1868. They had two further sons, Alexander Randolph Holladay (March 12, 1870), and Charles Bolling Holladay, (February 12, 1873).

During the four years of the Civil War, Holladay rose from Second Lieutenant

Second Lieutenant

Second lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer military rank in many armed forces.- United Kingdom and Commonwealth :The rank second lieutenant was introduced throughout the British Army in 1871 to replace the rank of ensign , although it had long been used in the Royal Artillery, Royal...

 to Colonel

Colonel

Colonel , abbreviated Col or COL, is a military rank of a senior commissioned officer. It or a corresponding rank exists in most armies and in many air forces; the naval equivalent rank is generally "Captain". It is also used in some police forces and other paramilitary rank structures...

. After the war ended in 1865, he studied law and went on to practice in partnership with his father between 1870 and 1877 (Holladay, White and Holladay). During that period, he served in the Virginia State Senate as senator for Richmond, from 1871 to 1875. He taught in Richmond for a while before becoming president of the Stonewall Jackson Institute in Abingdon, Virginia

Abingdon, Virginia

Abingdon is a town in Washington County, Virginia, USA, 133 miles southwest of Roanoke. The population was 8,191 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Washington County and is a designated Virginia Historic Landmark...

. From 1885 to 1888, he was president of the Florida State Agricultural College in Lake City, Florida

Lake City, Florida

Lake City is the county seat of Columbia County, Florida, in the United States. In 2009, the U.S. Census Bureau estimated the city's population at 12,614. In addition, it is the Principal City of the Lake City Micropolitan Statistical Area, which is composed of Columbia County, and had an...

.

In the year 1888-89, F. L. Kern served as President of the college, while Holladay remained, his name appearing thus: "Col. A. Q. Holladay (of the Universities of Virginia and Berlin), Professor of History

History

History is the discovery, collection, organization, and presentation of information about past events. History can also mean the period of time after writing was invented. Scholars who write about history are called historians...

, English Literature

English literature

English literature is the literature written in the English language, including literature composed in English by writers not necessarily from England; for example, Robert Burns was Scottish, James Joyce was Irish, Joseph Conrad was Polish, Dylan Thomas was Welsh, Edgar Allan Poe was American, J....

, and Latin

Latin

Latin is an Italic language originally spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. It, along with most European languages, is a descendant of the ancient Proto-Indo-European language. Although it is considered a dead language, a number of scholars and members of the Christian clergy speak it fluently, and...

."

In 1889, Holladay was appointed as the first president of the North Carolina College of Agriculture and Mechanic Arts, which later developed into the North Carolina State University

North Carolina State University

North Carolina State University at Raleigh is a public, coeducational, extensive research university located in Raleigh, North Carolina, United States. Commonly known as NC State, the university is part of the University of North Carolina system and is a land, sea, and space grant institution...

.

After his retirement in 1899, Holladay spent time in Delaware, New York

Delaware, New York

Delaware is a town in Sullivan County, New York, USA. The population was 2,719 at the 2000 census.The Town of Delaware is in the western part of the county.-Geography:...

, and Virginia

Virginia

The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...

 until failing health brought him back to his daughter's home in Raleigh, North Carolina

Raleigh, North Carolina

Raleigh is the capital and the second largest city in the state of North Carolina as well as the seat of Wake County. Raleigh is known as the "City of Oaks" for its many oak trees. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the city's 2010 population was 403,892, over an area of , making Raleigh...

, where he lived until he died and was buried at Raleigh in 1909.

Connections

Holladay's mother was a niece of George Poindexter

George Poindexter

George Poindexter was an American politician, lawyer and judge from Mississippi.-Background:Poindexter was born in Louisa County, Virginia and was of Huguenot ancestry. He was orphaned early in life and had a sporadic education growing up...

 (1779–1853), who from 1820 to 1822 had served as the second Governor of Missouri. He was also related to Lewis Littlepage

Louis Littlepage

Louis Littlepage or Lewis Littlepage was an American diplomat in service of the last Polish king, Stanisław August Poniatowski.-Youth:...

  (1762–1802) , the half-brother of Holladay's grandfather, Waller Holladay (1776–1860). Littlepage had a remarkable career as a diplomat in the service of the last Polish king, Stanisław August Poniatowski, and the Russian Empire

Russian Empire

The Russian Empire was a state that existed from 1721 until the Russian Revolution of 1917. It was the successor to the Tsardom of Russia and the predecessor of the Soviet Union...

.

Memorial

The Alexander Quarles Holladay Medal is awarded by the North Carolina State University as the highest honor it can bestow on members of its faculty.

Publications

• Alexander Quarles Holladay, Some Genealogical Notes for the information of younger descendants (1901)
• Alexander Quarles Holladay, Social Conditions in Colonial North Carolina (E. M. Uzzell & Co., 1904)