Thomas Michael Holt
North Carolina Governor (1891-1893)
Born July 15, 1831, Thomas was one of four sons of Edwin Michael Holt,
who had ventured into the textile business several years before Thomas
was born. Three of those sons lived to follow their father into the textile
industry, making the Holt name one of the most prominent manufacturing
families in the state. It was Thomas who invented the Alamance Plaids after
studying dying techniques with a Frenchman who stayed with the family around
1852. Holt seved as president of the NCRR for 16 years and president of
the "Grange" for 13 years. He served in the state Senate from 1876 to 1877
and was elected to the House three consecutive times, in 1883, 1885, and
1887. He became president of the Senate from 1889 to 1891. When Fowle died
in the second year of his term, Holt succeeded to the governorship and
served from 1891 to 1893. When his term ended, Holt's health was failing,
so he did not run for re-election, but instead returned to private life
in Haw River until his death on April 11, 1896.
William Kerr Scott
North Carolina Governor (1949-1953)
Kerr Scott was born near Haw River on April 17, 1896. He served as a
private in the field artillery in World War I and returned to Alamance
County to run a dairy farm on land that had been in the family since the
1700s. He also entered politics, serving as a State Farm agent from 1920
until 1930, as Master of the State Grange from 1930 to 1933, and as State
Commissioner of Agriculture from 1937 to 1948. He served as governor from
1949 to 1953. After his term as governor, he was elected to the U.S. Senate
in 1954 and served until his death on April 16, 1958.
Robert Walter Scott
North Carolina Governor (1969 - 1973)
Kerr Scott's son Robert was born in Alamance County on June 13, 1929.
Like his father, he became a dairy farmer and was active in the State and
National Grange and other agricultural organizations. From 1953 to 1955,
he was a member of the U.S. Army Counter-Intelligence Corps. He served
as lieutenant governor 1965-1969, and president of State Senate 1965-1967.
He was elected governor in 1969. In 1983, Scott was appointed president
of the North Carolina Community College system. He retired in 1994 and
returned to his farm near Hawfields.