 He was elected state attorney general in 1932, and served until becoming governor in 1937.Holt had been attorney general of West Virginia during the time of the Hawks Nest Tunnel tragedy and "During his term as attorney general, Holt successfully defended Union Carbide in the Supreme Court Trial, United States V. State of West Virginia, 295 U.S. 463 (1935)"  Holt was governor during the time the Writers' Project of the Works Project Administration (WPA) began work on West Virginia