John Holt (publisher)

John Holt (1721—1784) was a colonial American newspaper publisher, printer, postmaster, and mayor of Williamsburg, Virginia, United States.

He had a store that sold miscellaneous supplies, ink, paper, and books on a variety of subjects including religion, freemasonry, economics, history, archaeology, poetry, and biographies.

He openly challenged the Stamp Act of 1765, which was a direct British tax on the colonies in America for many types of papers used that included legal documents, magazines, playing cards, and newspapers.

Holt was the favorite printer of the Sons of Liberty, a political organization active in the Thirteen American Colonies founded to advance the rights of the colonists and to fight taxation by the British government.

[4] William Nelson obtained a loan from Holt in 1745 and gave a mortgage to his town lots numbers 266, 267, 268 as collateral.

After several loans, Nelson, eventually sold the lots to the printer publisher Joseph Royle in 1763 for the amount of 500 pounds of the then current money.

In 1754 Holt had a negative cash flow problem at his Williamsburg storehouse, where he stocked general merchandise (i.e. groceries, dry goods, sewing items, china), so he gave that business up.

In 1755 Thomas Clap, President of Yale College, invited Benjamin Franklin to set up a printing press in New Haven, Connecticut.

[6] Holt became the junior partner and resident editor conducting the printing business of the newspaper publication at New Haven.

Parker spent most of his time at his printing-house in New York City, so was often away from his New Haven businesses, that Holt totally managed.

[3] Holt was quite concerned about the postal system and gave extensive improvement suggestions in a letter to Samuel Adams on January 29, 1776.

[6] He also had a store that sold miscellaneous books on a variety of subjects including religion, freemasonry, economics, history, archaeology, poetry, and biographies.

The Sons of Liberty, with a threat of bodily harm, persuaded Holt to continue the newspaper in defiance of the tax.

He added to the heading of his newspaper the words, The united voice of all his Majesty's free and loyal subjects in America – Liberty and property and no stamps.

[15] Holt learned that Parker would not resume the New-York Gazette and Weekly Post-Boy, so he continued the newspaper using the title until October 9, 1766 (no.

[1] Holt printed some unfavorable remarks about certain ancestors of Lord Dunmore and started a quarrel with him, the royal governor of the colony of Virginia.

He was only able to save of[clarification needed] his personal property and about a sixth of his printing materials, which included his account books, paper stock and two excellent font type sets.

[15] Modern-day historian Edwin Emery labeled Holt "the most important Radical printer outside Boston" during the American Revolution.

[21] Isaiah Thomas, founder of the American Antiquarian Society, described Holt as a "man of ardent feelings, and a high churchman, but a firm Whig, a good writer, and a warm advocate of the cause of his country.

[23] According to biographer Layton Barnes Murphy they had two children: Major publications: Printed examples of works contributed to Holt: