William Harrison Holly

Who was William Harrison Holly?

William Harrison Holly was a United States federal judge.

Born in Bellefonte, Pennsylvania, Holly read law to enter the bar in 1891. He was in private practice in Macomb, Illinois from 1891 to 1902, and then in Chicago, Illinois until 1914. He was an assistant state's attorney of Cook County, Illinois from 1914 to 1916, thereafter returning to private practice in Chicago until 1933.

On November 8, 1933, Holly received a recess appointment from Franklin D. Roosevelt to a seat on the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois vacated by George A. Carpenter. Formally nominated on January 8, 1934, Holly was confirmed by the United States Senate on February 20, 1934, and received commission on March 1, 1934. He assumed senior status on December 31, 1943, and served in that capacity until his death, in 1958.