About Annette Holt (1848–1930)
In 1908, Annette Holt ran an unsuccessful campaign for the Grand Rapids Board of Education. Although Holt’s run was endorsed by the influential Grand Rapids Ladies’ Literary Club, she did not win a seat. Holt decided to run again in 1909, this time endorsed by both the Grand Rapids Federation of Women’s Clubs and the Grand Rapids Woman’s Missionary Social Union. But the backing of these important local organizations was still not enough. Holt did not win her seat.
But these two political defeats did not stop Holt from pursuing other positions of authority within Grand Rapids society. A passionate advocate for the welfare of children, Holt chaired the Grand Rapids Inter-Church Child Labor Committee, on whose behalf she served as a delegate to the 1908 Annual Meeting of the National Child Labor Committee in Chicago. Holt’s work on behalf of child labor reform was recognized in 1914, when she was elected president of the Grand Rapids Child Labor Association.
Holt was also an active member of the Grand Rapids Ladies’ Literary Association, where she introduced the topic of child welfare and labor reform in 1916 with a resolution to endorse Keating-Owen Child Labor Act, which discouraged the use of child labor by prohibiting the sale of items produced in factories that employed children under fourteen and subjected them to work days exceeding eight hours.
Annette Holt died on October 19, 1930 in Los Angeles, California. The reason for the move is unclear, though her death certificate notes that she had been living in California for seven years prior to her passing.
About Annette Holt (1848–1930)
In 1908, Annette Holt ran an unsuccessful campaign for the Grand Rapids Board of Education. Although Holt’s run was endorsed by the influential Grand Rapids Ladies’ Literary Club, she did not win a seat. Holt decided to run again in 1909, this time endorsed by both the Grand Rapids Federation of Women’s Clubs and the Grand Rapids Woman’s Missionary Social Union. But the backing of these important local organizations was still not enough. Holt did not win her seat.
But these two political defeats did not stop Holt from pursuing other positions of authority within Grand Rapids society. A passionate advocate for the welfare of children, Holt chaired the Grand Rapids Inter-Church Child Labor Committee, on whose behalf she served as a delegate to the 1908 Annual Meeting of the National Child Labor Committee in Chicago. Holt’s work on behalf of child labor reform was recognized in 1914, when she was elected president of the Grand Rapids Child Labor Association.
Holt was also an active member of the Grand Rapids Ladies’ Literary Association, where she introduced the topic of child welfare and labor reform in 1916 with a resolution to endorse Keating-Owen Child Labor Act, which discouraged the use of child labor by prohibiting the sale of items produced in factories that employed children under fourteen and subjected them to work days exceeding eight hours.
Annette Holt died on October 19, 1930 in Los Angeles, California. The reason for the move is unclear, though her death certificate notes that she had been living in California for seven years prior to her passing.
Campaign Information
FIRST CAMPAIGN
Political Office: Board of Education
Election Year: 1908
Party Affiliation: Nonpartisan race
Elected: No
SECOND CAMPAIGN
Political Office: Board of Education
Election Year: 1909
Party Affiliation: Nonpartisan race
Elected: No
Biographical Information
Full Name: Annette E.H. Henshaw Holt
Life Dates: May 1848–October 19, 1930
Birthplace: Eckford, Michigan
Marital Status: Married
Occupation: No formal occupation
Party Affiliation: Unknown
Social Reform Activism: Juvenile Reform, Women’s Clubs, Education
Sources
“Child Labor Meeting.” Grand Rapids Herald, January 26, 1909.
“City Ticket.” Grand Rapids Herald, April 6, 1909.
Grand Rapids Herald, April 2, 1908.
Holt, Annette Gaylord. “Inter-Church Child Labor Committee, Grand Rapids, Michigan.” in Uniform Child Labor Laws: Proceedings of the Seventh Annual Conference of the National Child Labor Committee, 171. Philadelphia: American Academy of Political and Social Science, 1911.
“Indorsed for School Board.” Grand Rapids Herald, March 12, 1909.
“Ladies’ Literary Club.” Grand Rapids Herald, January 30, 1916.
“Library and School Board.” Grand Rapids Herald, April 7, 1908.
“Mrs. Holt Elected Head of the C.L.A.” Grand Rapids Herald, March 31, 1914.
“Overwork and Idleness: Two Subjects Discussed at Child Labor Meeting Yesterday.” Grand Rapids Herald, December 29, 1908.
“Woman’s Union in Annual Convention.” Grand Rapids Herald, March 27, 1909.