Frederick W. M. Holliday

Who was Frederick W. M. Holliday?

Frederick William Mackey Holliday was a member of the Confederate Congress during the American Civil War and the 38th Governor of Virginia from 1878 to 1882.

Born in Winchester, Virginia, Holliday was the son of Dr. R.J. and Mary Catherine Taylor Holliday. He attended Winchester Academy and Yale University before earning degrees in philosophy, political economy, and law from the University of Virginia. He was the Commonwealth's Attorney for Frederick County, Virginia from 1861–65.

During the Civil War, he served in the Stonewall Brigade in the Army of Northern Virginia. He began the war as the first captain of Company D, Mountain Rangers, of Winchester, which was part of the 33rd Virginia Regiment. During the Battle of Cedar Mountain, Holliday was wounded in his right arm, which then had to be amputated. He resigned from the military as a colonel on March 1, 1864, and was elected to the Second Confederate Congress.

Holliday won the election for Governor of Virginia in 1877 as a Conservative Democrat unopposed. Holliday began his term by breaking the established tradition of small inauguration ceremonies for Virginia governors. His ceremony included parades, bands, cannons, and an inaugural speech given to some 10,000 people.