Kenneth Lamar Holland is a Democratic

Democratic Party (United States)

The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...

 former member of the United States House of Representatives

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...

 from South Carolina

South Carolina

South Carolina is a state in the Deep South of the United States that borders Georgia to the south, North Carolina to the north, and the Atlantic Ocean to the east. Originally part of the Province of Carolina, the Province of South Carolina was one of the 13 colonies that declared independence...

.

Holland was born in Hickory, North Carolina

Hickory, North Carolina

Hickory is a city in Catawba County, North Carolina. Hickory has the 162nd largest urban area in the United States. As of the 2000 census, the Metropolitan Statistical Area had a population of 341,851, making it the 4th largest metropolitan area in North Carolina. The city's population was 37,222...

 on November 24, 1934. He attended public schools in Gaffney, South Carolina

Gaffney, South Carolina

Gaffney is a city in and the county seat of Cherokee County, South Carolina, United States, in the upstate region of South Carolina. Gaffney is also sometimes referred to as the Peach capital of South Carolina. The population was 12,414 at the 2010 census...

. Holland served in the National Guard from 1952 to 1959. He entered college at the University of South Carolina

University of South Carolina

The University of South Carolina is a public, co-educational research university located in Columbia, South Carolina, United States, with 7 surrounding satellite campuses. Its historic campus covers over in downtown Columbia not far from the South Carolina State House...

, earning an LL.B. in 1960 and a Juris Doctor

Juris Doctor

Juris Doctor is a professional doctorate and first professional graduate degree in law.The degree was first awarded by Harvard University in the United States in the late 19th century and was created as a modern version of the old European doctor of law degree Juris Doctor (see etymology and...

 in 1963. Holland then opened his own law practice in Camden, South Carolina

Camden, South Carolina

Camden is the fourth oldest city in the U.S. state of South Carolina and is also the county seat of Kershaw County, South Carolina, United States. The population was an estimated 7,103 in 2009...

.

In 1973, Holland worked as a member of the State Board of Municipal Canvassers, serving as the body's chairman. He then served on the state Highway Commission until 1975. He was elected as a Democrat to the Ninety-fourth and to the three succeeding Congresses from January 3, 1975 to January 3, 1983 from the Fifth Congressional District of South Carolina. Holland's 1976 re-election was by a close (51% to 48%) margin over the Republican Party

Republican Party (United States)

The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...

 candidate, former Major League Baseball

Major League Baseball

Major League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...

 player Bobby Richardson

Bobby Richardson

Robert Clinton "Bobby" Richardson is a former second baseman in Major League Baseball who played for the New York Yankees from through . Batting and throwing right-handed, he was a superb defensive infielder, as well as something of a clutch hitter, who played no small role in the Yankee baseball...

. Holland was not a candidate for reelection in 1982 to the Ninety-eighth Congress, instead choosing to return to work as a lawyer. He is a currently a resident of Gaffney.http://bioguide.congress.gov/scripts/biodisplay.pl?index=H000719 Holland was succeeded in Congress by John M. Spratt, Jr.

John M. Spratt, Jr.

John McKee Spratt, Jr. is the former U.S. Representative for , serving from 1983 until 2011. He is a member of the Democratic Party. Spratt was the dean of the South Carolina congressional delegation, chairman of the U.S. House Committee on the Budget, and the second ranking Democrat on the U.S...

Ken Holland indicated on February 7, 2006 that he was planning on entering the Democratic primary for the 2006 race for Governor of South Carolina

Governor of South Carolina

The Governor of the State of South Carolina is the head of state for the State of South Carolina. Under the South Carolina Constitution, the Governor is also the head of government, serving as the chief executive of the South Carolina executive branch. The Governor is the ex officio...

, but then dropped out a month later citing money problems, pledging to refund the contributions he had received to date. http://www.thestate.com/mld/thestate/news/breaking_news/13813062.htm http://www.thestate.com/mld/thestate/14043962.htm

He has three children, Lamar, Amy, and Elizabeth, and three grandchildren, Kirk, Bryce, and Paul.